Smoke Smothers
by twinlover5588
Summary: Stressed out college medical student, Lucy, meets laid back worker, Natsu. The two become friends, however it seems Natsu only wants to add onto her stress load as his smoke smelling clothing, leads her to believe he is addicted to the cancer sticks. Misunderstanding led to secrets being uncovered. Is there more to the world than what Lucy has ever known?
1. Chapter 1: Introductions

I got this idea from off a Tumblr writing prompt from unwritingwritersblock. And well what was suppose to be maybe two or three chapters, is probably going to be tons tons more. oh well~ Just hold on and enjoy the ride!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does.

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Morning coffee. That's the first thing Lucy needs to drive out the dreary sleepiness currently engulfing her body. She glanced at the clock. 7:20. She had just enough time to pick up a cup, and then make it to her classes. With quick feet she grabbed a lone jacket to fight off the morning chill, and headed off. Soon enough the unique scent of coffee beans wafted its way under her nose, and made her worries disappear. The usual barista took note of her arrival, and winked. His orange hair seemed to come to life with the early morning light shining on his locks. The girl currently ordering seemed to be entranced by his natural beauty, her eyes wistful as she watched the man skillfully make her drink. Her change immediately went into the tip jar. Lucy approached the counter, very mindful of the glare now burning a hole in the back of her head.

"You sure know how to rake in the tips, now dontcha, Loke?" Lucy teased with a smile.

"Hello to you too beautiful. The usual?"

"Actually, downgrade it to a simple caramel cappuccino." At the raise of a lone eyebrow she explained. "I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"Accidently slept in again?" He asked with a slight chuckle while he started making her order.

"What gave it away? My bedhead or the dark circles under my eyes?" Lucy joked.

"The cute sleepiness still in your eyes actually." Loke answered sweetly, as he added in the fluffy cream.

"You aren't trying to get my change too, are you? Because tough luck for you. I'm saving up to pay off my student loans."

"Med school is expensive isn't it?" Loke cringed and handed over the steaming hot drink.

"Yeah. But it will be worth it in the end." Lucy absentmindedly answered while she was digging through her wallet in search of her card.

"Ah. ah ah. Consider this one on the house, Lucy." The blonde's fingers stopped their search as she looked up at her friend.

"Wasn't the last one on the house? If you keep doing this you'll get fired ya know?" Lucy stated.

"Oh please. As if they could fire me with all the business I bring in."

"No one likes cockiness." Lucy reprimanded as she headed for the door.

"Is it really cockiness if it's true though?" Loke asked with a smirk.

"Yes~" Lucy sung as she walked out the door. Coffee in her hand, she let the caffeine take over, the piping hot steam softening her congestion of the morning. With a quick glance at her phone, she started the short walk to her classes.

By the time lunch came about, Lucy's stomach was growling to the point it was uncomfortable. And the blazing sun pounding down on her neck wasn't helping her discomfort. She was walking on campus, wondering what she was going to eat.

"Hey Lucy!" Came a greeting from behind her. Lucy almost dropped her books as she was hugged from behind. She pried the tiny arms off of her and was met with her blue haired friend.

"Hi there Levy." Lucy giggled at the cheerfulness of her friend.

"Are you heading out to get some lunch? Might I suggest a nice mexican joint down main street?" Lucy laughed at her friends antics.

"Oh? And why are you in the mood for some spicy food huh Levy? Perhaps you want to see a certain waiter by the name Gaj-" Lucy's teasing were cut off as Levy's cold hands covered her mouth.

"Shhh! Someone will hear you!"

"I'd be surprised if there was someone on campus who didn't know about your little crush."

"Doesn't mean you can go about talking about it like it's official!" Levy's flushed face contrasted greatly with her light blue mop on her head she calls hair. Lucy fixed a rebellious stray hair on her friends head before stating,

"We both know he likes you back. It's almost sickening to see the way he looks at you. I see no reason why you guys aren't dating yet." A sigh left Levy's small frame.

"It's more complicated than that Lucy."

"Oh come on. Don't get all mopey on me now. Look, I'm sorry, okay?" Lucy put on her best apologetic smile. She knew her friend was sensitive to this topic. Levy took one look at Lucy's face and then smiled back. Laughing away her worries she responded,

"You are right. I won't let my silly thoughts ruin our lunch! Come on Lucy! Let's go eat!" The newly rejuvenated Levy grabbed ahold of her friend's hand, dragged her to their place of eating, laughing and leaving behind the previous conversation.

The rest of the day was uneventful, as Lucy diligently took notes for her med classes. Entering her apartment, she massaged her hand to rid it from its cramp as she retreated into her mind. Med classes were hard, sure but with hard work comes rewards. And Lucy, not being one to give up, grinned and beared it. She had no idea what she actually wanted to be in the department, she just knew she wanted to be in the medical industry. So for now she is taking just basic medical classes and requirements.

Setting down her textbooks on her desk, she headed to the kitchen to make a little memo note on her calendar hanging on her fridge to read up on the effects of overdosing in chapter seven. Her professor specifically told her that would be an important portion on the test. With that she resigned herself for a short nap before hardcore hitting the books. She collapsed on her bed, that groaned in protest of the sudden weight.

Her eyes slowly opened as she sat up stretching her arms high above her head. That was the best rest she'd had in awhile. A yawn left her mouth when she took a glance at her clock. She stared at the bright red numbers glaring at her for a solid moment. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and looked again. The offending numbers 8:10 were finally recognized. Her eyes shot wide open, as a string of incomprehensible words flew from her mouth. Her feet pounded against the wooden floor of her apartment, rushing to put on non-rumpled clothes and look somewhat decent. After skipping some parts of her morning routine she quickly brushed her teeth, and mentally cursed herself for falling asleep without setting her alarm. Her phone started ringing, the sound startling her from her thoughts. She gargled and rinsed, almost missing the sink, because of her carelessness. Caller ID told her it was her best friend, Levy. She picked up without a second thought.

"Lucy! Where are you? Class starts in ten minutes!" Worry laced through her voice.

"I overslept last night! Like big time!" Lucy half yelled into the phone. Trying to multitask, Lucy held the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she slipped on socks and shoes.

"Big time is an understatement!" Levy's sass seemed to only irk Lucy this early in the morning. She shook it off.

"I'll be there as fast as I can! I'm just now leaving."

"Okay! I'll try and stall the pr-" The line went dead and Levy's voice disappeared.

"Levy? Are you there? Levy?" Lucy looked at her phone to see the dreaded red battery flashing on the black screen. Lucy wanted to cry as she remembered she didn't put her phone to charge before she took a nap. If only she didn't take that nap. She should have put it off until bedtime and then she wouldn't be in this mess. She grabbed her normal jacket and opened the door swiftly. Or well that was the plan at least until her door seemed to hit something. Or someone.

"Ouch! Hey!" The sound of papers scattering met Lucy's ears. She looked around her door only to be met with a person rubbing their nose.

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry! Here let me help you!" She dropped her own textbooks and started gathering the fallen papers. Of course she peaked at what they were. In huge bright red letters were the words Pizza Palace, and a phone number for delivery below. The person soon joined her in picking up the pamphlets.

"Look, I'm really sorry I kinda smacked you in the face with my door. I didn't know there was going to be anyone behind it." With that she finally met the person's eyes.

His eyes seemed to widen at the sight of hers. His face, tan and defined, leaned closer to hers before halting. What stood out to Lucy was his extremely pink hair. I mean yeah most of her friends have dyed hair as well, but for a guy to choose pink? Nevertheless she thought it was nice to see a guy not afraid of the supposedly deemed "girly" color. Realizing she was staring, herself, at his hair, Lucy's eyes flickered back and forth between his as she wondered why he suddenly froze.

"Uhhh, Are you okay? I didn't hit you too hard did I?"

She was met with silence on his part, as he continued his odd staring. Lucy started to feel creeped out.

"Umm. Yeah. Well I have to get going." She quickly scribbled her contact information on one of the pamphlets. "Contact me if you find out I broke your nose or want compensation or something." And with that Lucy shoved the papers she picked up, the one with her number one top, into the guy's hands. Quickly picking up her own books she all but ran to her class. The guy now gripping the pizza pamphlets, followed the girl's movements with his eyes, before shoving the one with her information in his pocket and continued on through the apartment complex handing them out.

"What do you mean I don't get my paycheck this week?!" Natsu yelled out in exasperation. The kitchen of Pizza Palace smelled of burnt bread and spices while the firebrick ovens burned with a low flame. They were closing down for the night. The store manager of Pizza Palace stood in front of the pink haired man, his small stature was everything but intimidating. He stroked his chin, white stubble scratching his small hand, as he spoke,

"You've eaten your max total, of what you call "employe benefits" this month, and then some. It's time you pay up."

"But Gramps, you told me I could eat all the burnt pizzas!" His whiny voice grated on Makarov's ears. Natsu's hand motions exaggerated his desperation.

"Natsu. You've burned almost every other pizza in order to get your greedy hands on them."

"W-what?! You know those were accidents!" A scoffed resounded in the room, the door opened to reveal a tall lanky man, dark bangs covered his eyes before he pushed them back with his hand.

"What kind of idiot burns ten pizzas in one shift?"

"Look who's talking! You are the Queen of idiots, Gray!" Natsu responded, his glare rested firmly on his coworker's face.

"You wanna say that again, Flame Fucker?" In a split second, Gray was all up in Natsu's face, his body rigid, face stone cold.

"Too stupid to hear the first time, Asscicle?!" Natsu's breath was hot against his friend's icy exterior. Gray was quick with his movements, as he grabbed the front of Natsu's shirt. In turn, Natsu raised a fist, the atmosphere tense. Just as a fist was about to collide into Gray's face, Makarov grabbed the two by the back of their collars and lifted them into the air, his height growing to the limits of the ceiling.

"You brats know better than to try and mess up my kitchen again!" Their boss yelled, only returning to normal size when he saw the fear in the two's eyes.

"Aye sir!" They both simultaneously responded after being placed back down on the ground.

"Now, Gray go on in the back and clean up a bit for tomorrow. And Natsu either get me payment for the amount of pizzas you've consumed, or you are cut off for a week."

"But-"

"Buts have nothing to do with it. Now go on before I change my mind and make you deep clean the ovens."

Natsu shivered at the memory of last time he cleaned the ovens, he couldn't get the grime out of his ears for weeks. He subconsciously picked at his ears, as he left the room muttering underneath his breath about it being unfair. His stomach interrupted his inner hissy fit, it's growl letting it's emptiness known to the world. The aroma of pizzas still stuck to the air even though they had closed half an hour ago. Natsu's mouth watered. He had to go get some more food before his belly started a talkathon. The little chime of the bell rung as he left the pizza joint and headed down the street, back to campus. The sky was bright orange, the fading sun casting long shadows on the ground. Digging in his pockets, Natsu scrimmaged for any loose cash. In one pocket he managed to find three dollars, and a few nickels. In the other he pulled out two pennies and a Pizza Palace brochure. The image of the delectable greasy cheese pizza made his stomach erupt into more pleas. However, before his mind could wander into pizza heaven, some writing caught his eye. He recalled the girl he met previously that morning. Or well met is a strong word there. All she did was whack him in the face with her door. Sure she didn't mean to, but it still hurt like hell. The dull ache in his nose made him cringe. The warmth of the sun however eased his tense muscles. He recalled the way the sun made her hair look like fresh strung gold. He could barely take his eyes off it, and when he did they got caught in her own. A spark glimmered within him, embers started slowly burning. He bit back some primal instincts, shaking his head.

An idea struck him. He pulled out his phone and dialed the appropriate numbers. It went straight to a generic voice mail. Natsu groaned. He instead sent a text. As soon as he saw it was delivered he slipped his phone back into his pocket and continued walking around campus. He couldn't wait until 7:00.

A harsh buzz interrupted her studying session. Books scattered around her desk, she tried to get back into the groove of studying before the harsh vibration broke her concentration again. Rubbing her face, she stole a glance at the clock. Just a little bit past six o'clock. Lucy took off her glasses and walked over to her night stand where the offending device laid charging. An unknown number had called and texted her. She wondered if she should check it or just go back to studying. The ache in her head begged for her to take a breather. She picked up her phone and unlocked it.

 _'Hey! The name's Natsu. I'm the guy you hit with your door earlier today. You know the one with pink hair. Turns out you totally damaged my nose cartilage. And I recalled you saying you'd 'compensate' me. Whatever that means. But instead of that how about you just take me out to dinner at around 7:00. Deal? Good. I'll be at your door then.'_

Lucy's eyes widen at the text. She didn't she actually hit him that hard. Or did she? She was in a rush so she might not've noticed how much force she was using. She smacked her forehead, belittling herself for not being careful. And now this little deal is cutting into her study time. So much for learning about proper needle usage and disposal. Another peak at the clock sent a weird feeling down Lucy's nerves. Guilt and nerves made an awful pairing, and the stress of school seemed to want to be the cherry on top. Swiftly she threw on a decent outfit and brushed her hair and teeth. Grabbing her wallet and phone she tossed them into a random purse and mentally practiced an apology in her head.

After taking one last glance in the mirror and fixing a rebellious hair, she made a move towards the door. Knuckles whitened as she gripped the handle tightly, a sigh leaving her lips. Gathering her nerves she opened the door.

"Ugh! Damn!"

Lucy's blood ran cold as she peered around her door, a sense of deja vu developing. The pink haired man stood bent over holding his nose. Lucy wanted to cry. Rushing forward she grabbed the man's face in between her hands and tilted it back.

"I'm so sorry!" She yelped in embarrassment. He groaned, trying to resist her prying by backing up. However he forgot about the steps up to her porch and his world was tilted upside down. Of course in a desperation to try and stop his fall, he grabbed ahold of a certain blonde.

"Aaruuf!" His breath was pushed out of his lungs, her body landing on him hard. Lucy's head spun as she tried to put together what just happened. She pushed herself up, unknowingly using his chest as leverage. Natsu squirmed underneath her, uncomfortable with the pressure on his chest. This in turn caused her to fall once more.

"Would you quit moving?!" He finally stated. Lucy's head shot up, and with a quick realization she scrambled to get off him. She stood swiftly, face red as a tomato. Natsu sat up voicing his pain of not only his nose, but the unexpected fall. Lucy just watched, keeping her distance, not wanting to hurt the man anymore. When he was done with his gripeing, his eyes shot up to hers.

"Do you always greet people like this? Because I'd have to wonder how many friends you have."

"I-I'm sor-" Lucy started to apologize, only to be interrupted.

"I'm joking. It's fine." Natsu said as he got up and dusted off his pants. The dull ache in his nose still pulsed, and he started subconsciously massaging the bridge in an attempt to get rid of the sensation. Lucy saw his underlying discomfort and walked forward. Much like before she placed her hands on either side of his head, and tilted it up.

"What are you doing?" Came a nasal question. Lucy shushed him and pried his hands away from his nose. His hands were warm and calloused, she noticed. Mumbles left her mouth as she examined Natsu's nose. Bringing her face closer to his she ran a finger down the bridge of his nose, applying pressure on certain spots, until she got a response. Natsu yelped when she pressed on the sore spot on the right side of his nose. More mumbles came from her mouth. She took note of the way his nostrils flared as he breathed.

"Mind not mumbling so I can actually understand what you are saying?" Came a snarky reply. This broke Lucy out of her examining phase. She backed off, to give him some space. Natsu's face was tinted red and he was staring at her weirdly.

"You bruised your nasal cavity, your inner nasal passageway is swelling, blocking the oxygen from getting to your lungs easily, which is why you are having trouble breathing through your nose right now. I would recommend icing the right side of your nose, and breathing through your mouth for a while. If you continue to forcefully breathe through your nose, you will inflict further damage, which will allow you to be acceptable to bacterial growth and infection." Lucy's mouth moved without thought. Natsu's eyes widen at her rambling.

"What are you? Some nose doctor?" Natsu joked. Face turning red, Lucy shook her head and looked down.

"I'm just an average med student." Lucy shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh yeah? Well then average med student, let's go grab some grub!" Natsu reached for her hand, only to stumble a bit. He held his head and tried to shake it off.

"Are you sure you are okay? You didn't hit you head on the ground did you?" A deep frown rested itself on Lucy's face, underlying worry settling in.

"I'm fine! The only thing wrong is my empty stomach. So let's go fix that….um...You know I don't even know your name."

"Oh! You're right. My name is Lucy Heartfilia." Lucy replied, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. The minute her name left her lips, Natsu's face broke out into a warm smile.

"Well then, Miss Luigi Heartfillier,"

"My name is _Lucy Heartfillia!_ "

"See, the absence of substance in my stomach has messed with my comprehensive skills! We gotta go get food now!" And with that Natsu grabbed ahold of Lucy's wrist and all but dragged her down the street. He had just the place in mind to quench his never ending hunger. Lucy, shocked at first, slowly warmed up and laughed at his antics. Through her laughter though she realized she didn't know his name.

"Wait! I don't know your name!" Lucy yelled, yanking back on his tug, to slow him to a stop. He seemed appalled that she would stop him in his tracks. The emotion was fleeting though as a big warm smile spread on his face.

"Name's Natsu. Natsu Dragneel." he finished off with a wink before grabbing her wrist once more and continuing on his track. A slight twinge of warmth radiated in Lucy's chest at the sight of the innocent wide grin. Her breath caught in her throat, a bubbling feeling of envy overtaking the warmth.

"Such an easygoing smile…" She mumbled the words, that were soon smothered by the wind. She quickly tossed the odd feeling away.

They had went to the Mexican joint that Gajeel worked at, despite Lucy's protests. She had already had lunch there earlier that day. However Natsu pulled out the guilt card saying that she had most broken his nose, the least she could do was this. Lucy sighed and gave in. The minute Gajeel saw Lucy, the bunny jokes came full throttle. However Lucy could see the curious gleam in his eyes as he took in her dinner partner. Gajeel no doubt would tell Levy all the juicy details. Though it would be hard seeing as nothing much happen. They sat down at the table, and talked. Just about mundane things. Lucy was actually amazed at how she could just let the talk flow out instead of poking a fire that's low in hopes of a spark of conversation to ignite. Turns out the guy worked at Pizza Palace, and he was handing out pamphlets for it this morning. Lucy again apologized for attacking his nose, to which Natsu just laughed it off, saying it didn't even hurt. Lucy knew that was a lie. He in turned asked her if she worked anywhere. Lucy shook her head saying since she studying as a med student, she had absolutely zero time for a job.

"All this studying must be such a bore though, no?" The guy had a nice smooth voice, that flared up at the higher pitches in his sentences.

"At first it was. But you would be surprised at how interesting some of it is. For example, did you know that human hair is pretty durable, it can even survive some acids and chemicals."

"Oh yeah?" Natsu replied, liking the way her eyes shone as she retailed this information.

"Yeah. And speaking of hair…" Lucy let her eyes slide up to his, mentally willing him to finish her sentence. A throaty curt laugh left Natsu.

"You wanna know why my hair is pink?" Natsu asked while running a hand through his hair, messing up some spikes. Lucy only nodded. Natsu trapped a lock between his two fingers and looked at it thoughtfully before answering,

"It was Mom's favorite color. Or at least that's what my old man told me."

"So you dyed it because pink is your mom's favorite color?" Lucy innocently inquired with a tilt of her head. She would have thought it was because he lost a bet or something.

"Was," he absently corrected her before continuing, "I know it seems silly but I-"

"I don't think it's silly at all. If that how you want to express yourself then I think it's fine, actually, more than fine. I find it remarkable."

This caused Natsu to look up, his eyes seemingly searching her's for something. Lucy took notice of his vibrant green eyes, she couldn't identify the emotion swimming within them. A small grin creeped up onto his face.

"What makes you say that, Lucy?" Her name rolled off his tongue so smoothly, Lucy could have passed it off as her imagination. She shook her head.

"Well," she started. "A lot of my friends dye their hair, or get outrageous piercings and tattoos. And people often judge them for that, despite their lack of knowing anything about them. Nonetheless, my friends freely express themselves and love it, no matter what anyone else thinks. It's takes confidence and bravery. That in itself is remarkable. I could never do it."

She actually was enjoying herself before the food came out and Natsu's easygoing grin turned into a starving smile.

Next thing you know food was flying everywhere, left and right. Lucy had almost had some Mexican rice in her eye. And before Lucy could scrummage up anything for herself from the huge dinner plate Natsu had order, he had dump a whole bottle of fire sauce onto the entirety of the food. He continued eating after a grumble of, "That's better." came out of his mouth, along with some pre chewed food. The conversation after that didn't flow, the least thing Lucy wanted was to be wearing the dinner. What little food Lucy did consume she immediately regretted as her tongue protested the sting of spices and her nose started to run. She felt horrible. She had to call Gajeel over and ask for a glass of milk. She definitely heard a chuckle come from Natsu as she begged for the beverage. He was starting to get on her nerves.

At last the dinner plate was devoured and Lucy could have sworn she saw an inner battle in Natsu's eyes whether or not he should lick the plate clean. Thank god his temptation lost. She would have lost it if she had to sit through that. She wasn't out of the fire yet, seeing as the bill came to the table. Natsu was leisurely picking at his teeth with a toothpick, patting his expanded belly, meanwhile Lucy's eyes almost bulged out of her head at the receipt. $55.14 cents sat circled in red at the bottom of the small piece of paper. Her head throbbed. How on Earth was she going to afford this?! Better question is, why hadn't she been paying attention to what the void-for-a-stomach sitting across from her had been ordering?! She cringed as she took out her emergency card from her wallet. After receiving her card back, and with one last look at Natsu, which may or may not have been boarding on a glare, Lucy bid the boy farewell. The squeak of her chair against the floor added on to the development of a headache for Lucy. As soon as Lucy had reached the doors, his voice called out,

"Wait, where are you going?" The sound of his chair scraping against the floors was followed by the distinct pounding of his footsteps. Lucy turned around only to come face to face with him, his breath slid across her face, the aroma of his meal still abundant.

"Whoa, sorry there. I didn't mean to almost run you over." His voice lack an actual apology behind it, as he scratched the back of his head carelessly, and took a good step back.

"I'm going home. I fulfilled the deed, and now we will continue on our separate lives." Lucy opened the door, not bothering to hold it open for him as well. The sky had grown dark since their arrival at the restaurant, little specks of white could be seen in lurking in the vast inky darkness. A slight breeze carried off the sigh leaving her body. She glanced back up, the stars dim, being slightly outshined by the streetlights. Footsteps echoed hers as she walked home.

"Do you write?" a sudden voice asked behind her. She turned around to see Natsu, hands stuffed in his pockets, his face straight and steady. She had been so busy looking at the stars, that she hadn't heard his question properly, she only knew he had spoke. She looked at him questionally, tilting her head to the side so he'd know she didn't hear him.

"I asked if you write, ya know, like stories or something." he answered her silent question.

"Why would you ask something like that?" Lucy was put off by his sudden question, so she turned around and continued walking. She allow his footstep to match up to hers, as he started to walk beside her.

"Your words sometimes seem so poetic. Like you were reciting them from something you've read." Lucy looked over to see his face, but much like she was earlier, he was too busy watching the stars. She lifted her head up to join him as she answered,

"I used to write. It was a hobby of mine, but now I just study a lot." she murmured, hoping the wind would carry away her response. While looking up at the sky, she believed she could faintly make out the Great Square which was part of the Pegasus, the winged horse. She wished she had wings right now that could fly her away from everything.

"Wings aren't all they crack up to be." Natsu released a breathy chuckle as he shook his head. Lucy looked at him in shock. How did he knew what she was thinking? Did she accidentally say it outloud? Oh man, she has to stop doing that soon. To save face, she decided to ask him what he meant by that, but just before she could, he spoke up.

"So what was up with you and piercing guy back at the restaurant? You seemed to know each other."

"He is just a friend of mine."

"With the amount of glances he was sparing you, I would say he wants to be more than just a friend." A bubbling laugh came from Lucy's mouth. "You like having guys at your beck and call? You really are the princess type then, aren't cha?" Natsu raised an eyebrow.

"You got it all wrong. Gajeel is dating, or well kinda dating, my best friend. He was no doubt just looking out for my wellbeing." Lucy shrugged off his accusation.

"Whatever you say princess."

"Don't you dare start calling me that." She sent a chilly side glare in his direction. "Why are you even walking me home anyways?"

"Isn't it obvious? It's too dangerous at night for a delicate princess such as yourself."

"Are you calling me a princess because you feel that your masculinity is threatened?" Lucy let her annoyance show in her voice.

"Oh no! That's never the case." Natsu said as he mock flexed his biceps, posing ridiculously. A group of passing girls giggled. "I just know a princess when I see one." Lucy just rolled her eyes in response. Natsu continued, "So what reign are you?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You know, what kingdom doth the princess hailth from?" The fake british accent made Lucy cringe.

"I was born and raised here in Fiore." Lucy answered. A look of confusion overcame Natsu's face.

"Okay. But what royal line do you descend from?" the furrowing between his eyebrows increased.

"Uhhh…My dad is Jude Heartfillia…? And can you quit it with the princess jokes?" Lucy asked. She was in no way a princess. They are so graceful and dainty. Two things Lucy can't identify as.

"Jokes?" Natsu's confusion was evident.

"Yeah. You keep making wisecracks and princess references."

 _'Just another block and you will be on your street, Lucy. Almost there.'_

"So….you have no idea...what I'm asking?"

"You were asking where I'm from and who my parents are. Just in a weird way." A look of realization passed on the boy's face. He dug his hands into his pockets, leaning in more towards her. He breathed in deeply through his nose, his nostrils flailing. His eyes widen in awe.

"You...don't know….do you..? Oh my Edolas. You have no idea!"

"What are you talkin-" before she could get her sentence out Natsu placed his hands on her shoulders, fully turning her to face him.

"How old are you?" His face was too close, she could see the slight faded scar he had under his lip. Wait, why was she looking at his lips?! She physically shrugged him off and back away a few steps.

"I'm 20."

"What?! Normally we change in our teens!" Natsu yelled to himself in disbelief, seemingly engaging the cracked sidewalk in a staring contest as he worked over this new piece of information out in his head. Lucy was thoroughly weirded out. She almost jumped for joy when she saw her apartment complex. There was no doubt in Lucy's mind that Natsu at least was missing a few screws in his head. She sped up her walking pace, and was now a few yards away from her home. She hadn't noticed the tension in her neck and shoulders until she was about to relax at the sight of her apartment.

"Okay...well." She grasped her purse tighter around her body. "I'm home now. It was...nice talking to you. And sorry again for the whole fiasco this morning." Her rushed goodbye didn't seem to bug Natsu at all, as he was still too busy in thought to notice the offhanded departure. When her hand touched the doorknob, a warm one engulfed hers, halted her from opening it. Natsu pried her hand away from the door, and rose her hand to his lips. With a small kiss on her knuckle, Natsu let his eyes met hers. Lucy saw a strange emotion running through them. Was...was that amusement she saw in his eyes?! When he released her hand, she secretly wiped the small gesture on the side of her pants.

"I have a feeling we'll be meeting again very soon, princess." With that he started heading off into the night, leaving a very weird feeling crawling up Lucy's spine.

 _'Okay. That guy is super cryptic. It's creepy.'_ Lucy thought as she watched his silhouette growing smaller and smaller by the minute. She felt the ghost sensation of his warm hand on hers. She looked at her hand and held in a gasped. For a split second she saw a flash of pink. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. Nothing but her own skin started back at her. Shoving herself through the door, she climbed the stairs to her complex floor. Oddly enough, her headache disappeared.

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A/N: Well look what we have here. _Another_ story, despite all the unfinished ones calling my name. Don't fret though, for summer vacation has started, and that means more time to write, thus more updates! At least hopefully.


	2. Chapter 2: First Date?

I was thinking about splitting this chapter up...But I didn't...oh well~

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does.

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Hazy lights buzzed overhead as the library stood still in a maze of books and stories. The warm light from the desk lamps tracked dust particles as they floated through the air in a frenzy. The lone scrape of pen on paper echoed from a study corner.

 _'Lupus- A tuberculous disease of the skin, most common in children of consumptive or scrofulous tendency._

 _Mediastinitis -Inflammation of the tissues in the chest cavity known as the mediastinum_

 _Nephrosis- Non-inflammatory disease of kidn-'_

"Studying alone on a Friday night in a dead silent library? What kind of a college student are you?" Lucy let out a little yelp at being interrupted.

"Oh dear! You scared me." Lucy pressed her hand to her heart in an attempt to calm down it's sudden harsh beating. Her eyes met green ones, as she looked at her visitor. The unforgiving fluorescent lights did nothing to damage his ruggedly handsome features. The casual grey sweatpants and black tank top he wore even seemed to help. Pink hair seemed freshly dyed since last time, since his dark roots were missing. He pulled up a wooden chair to sit across from her table.

"It wasn't hard seeing as you were concentrating on that paper as if your life depended on it"

"My life does depend on it. My future life that is." Lucy shot back. "Now if you'll excuse yourself, I'm going to get back to studying."

"All work and no play makes Lucy a very dull girl." Natsu recited as he picked up one of her pencils and tried balancing it to stand on it's own. After a few half hearted attempts, the number two pencil stood upright on it's nearly all gone eraser. Lucy snatched the pencil and set it back beside her. She continued writing, completely ignoring Natsu, whose lips started forming a pout. The light above the two flickered in a low buzz. "You know this isn't a very nice second date." Lucy's face erupted into a blush that would put a strawberry to shame. She broke the lead in her pencil as she pressed down hard on the paper in embarrassment.

"Date?! This is not a date, and it certainly isn't the second seeing as we have never had a first."

"You wound me, princess." Natsu laughed at her flustered state, as he balanced his chair on its two hind legs. Lucy grabbed her other pencil and looked Natsu in the eyes.

"Look, Natsu, I appreciate your company….just not right now."

"Why not now?" he inquired.

 _'Because I bombed my last test, and my Professor was very disappointed, so now I have to wow him on the next.'_ Her mind quickly answered. She cleared her throat

"Because I'm busy studying."

"You are always studying!" Natsu pointed at her with her broken pencil.

 _'when did he get tha- ugh. Never mind.'_

"I am not always studying! I have fun...sometimes." Lucy wanted to slap herself for finishing that sentence in a slightly questioned tone. She wasn't helping her point and she knew that by the quirk in Natsu grin, he knew it too.

"Oh yeah? Name one thing you do for fun." Natsu prompted with arms crossed over his chest. The skin covering his biceps seemed to strain at the movement. His tank top left little to the imagination, as his arm muscles were shown proudly to the world.

"I have studying sessions with my frie-"

"Ah. ah. ah. Name one thing you do for fun that doesn't involve studying." He clarified with a smug smile. His lopsided grin seemed to hold so much amusement at the situation.

"Okay. Well...I hang out with my friends..or well a friend a lot."

"What do you guys normally do?" He asked casually, leaning his chair forward back onto the ground as he scooted closer interested. Lucy thought about the past weeks they had gone out to eat, and talked about the book club meetings they attended. A small smile was growing on her face at the memories. A smile that Natsu noticed immediately and put on his list of things he wanted to see more of. Lucy shook her head and the smile disappeared, leaving an odd feeling in Natsu's stomach. He labeled it as him being hungry again.

"We often go out to eat and chat over the latest books and stuff."

"This friend wouldn't happen to be the one dating that waiter would it?" Natsu asked, semi-curiously, but also just really wanting to keep the conversation going.

"Kinda dating." Lucy corrected. "And yes it is. Levy McGarden. My best friend since I started here."

"Is she a short little girl with light blue hair?"

"Yeah. She dyed it freshman year, as a way to celebrate her newly found freedom from her parents." Lucy laughed.

"She is in my AP chemistry class. She often blows up some stuff on accident. The funny thing is we will be doing something so mundane like boiling water and all of a sudden poof! The steam from the boiling water condensates on the overhead and drips onto the electric socket on top of the lab stations, short circuiting everyone's Bunsen burners." Natsu finished with a gleam in his eyes as he laughs at the story. Lucy let out a little laugh of her own and set down her pencil.

"She told me about that! She said they should have turned on the overhead! She was so embarrassed after that!" Lucy let out a little groan of embarrassment for her friend as her hand met her forehead slightly shielding her eyes.

"We normally only turn on the overheads when we are heating up fumes or chemicals. We were just boiling water!" Natsu laughed once more. Lucy felt a twinge of defense for her friend raise up in her.

"Well, surely she isn't the only one who accidentally blew something up. Hmm?" Lucy looked at Natsu with expectant eyes. He held up his hands in mock surrender.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Lucy."

"I can always ask Levy about it I suppose. After all she is really good at remembering the details." Lucy threatened.

"Alright alright! I'll tell." Natsu said through a chuckle. "Once upon a time," Lucy rolled her eyes. "when I was in Chemistry 101 freshman year, I may have accidentally….set fire to the teachers lab coat….and then his desk…." Natsu grounded out with an abnormally shy voice. Lucy's eye's grew wide.

"You're...joking right? You have to be! You would have gotten expelled if you did that!"

"I said it was an accident! They can't expel someone for an accident!" Natsu half yelled in his defense. If there had been a librarian anywhere close, she surely would have shushed him.

"Accident or not, how did you do it?" Lucy's curiosity was peaked her, definitions and studying forgotten. Natsu held back a grin at her eagerness.

"We were testing with carbon disulfide- a very, very flammable liquid...and-"

"Wait...you were doing a lab with Carbon disulfide!? That stuff is hazardous to humans! Like extremely poisonous to the nervous system! It's linked to toxin-induced parkinsonism! How on Earthland did you guys get okayed to handle it?!"

"Let's just say my teacher, Gildarts, knows people." Lucy's furrowed eyebrows seemed to deepen at the information. "Anyways, we were doing a lab and I was holding a beaker full of the liquid...and my shoelaces were untied and he was holding a lighter...You can probably connect the dots." Natsu scratched at the back of his neck.

"Oh my god! Was he okay? Your teacher?" Lucy sat on the edge of her seat. Natsu gave a goodhearted snort.

"Gildarts? He was fine. He just brushed it off. He always manages to destroyed his own stuff anyways. But let's just say, there is a reason why we are only allowed to wear slip-on or Velcro shoes now on lab days." They both laughed at the little jab Natsu made at himself. A sudden vibration startled Lucy out of their conversation. Her phone lit up, singling she was getting a call. She looked at the screen.

'Levy.' Lucy silently asked Natsu if she could take the call with her eyes. He waved her off, signaling it was okay.

"Hey there, Levy! What's up?" She turned slightly to the side while speaking. Out of the corner of her vision she thought she saw Natsu lean forward in interest at her best friend's name. From the phone came Levy's bubbly voice.

"Gajeel and I just scored tickets to the fair tonight!

"Really!? Oh Levy, that's amazing! I know how much you like carnivals and fairs!"

"But wait! There's more!" Levy's tone mocked that of an infomercial salesmen. Lucy let out a little giggle.

"We got two extra tickets! You should totally come with us! We can even find you a date. It could be a double date thing!" Her best friend's excitement was overflowing through the phone's speaker. Lucy glanced at Natsu, only to see him sporting a pencil mustache as he pursed his lips to keep it from falling.

"That sounds fun and all...but I'm busy stu-"

"Let me guess. You are too busy studying? Oh come on Lucy! Live a little! We haven't hung out in a week or two! Besides if you are insecure about finding a date, I can always find one for you." Levy provided.

"I can find a date!" Lucy puffed out her chest and spoke into the phone's receiver. Her eyes slid to Natsu, and she saw him with an eyebrow raised, the pencil stache falling off swiftly as he smiled in her direction.

"Then met me there at 8:00 o'clock by the front gates with your date! Ooo! Look that all rhymes!"

"But wait! Levy!"

"Not buts! See ya then!" The dial tone pieced Lucy's ear as she digested the situation. Great. Now she needed to find a semi decent date in...She checked the time on her phone. In less than two hours. She groaned into her hands, forgetting Natsu was still sitting across from her.

"You okay?" He asked, with a slight amused note in his voice. Lucy's head popped right back up, her eyes wide, staring into his. She sighed and straighten back up.

"Just dandy. I just need-"

"Just need to find a date?" Natsu finished her sentence with a tease.

"I was going to say a breather, but I see you like to eavesdrop."

"Is it really eavesdropping if you were sitting right in front of me, talking on your phone? Because if it is, I'm going to have to question your definitions." Natsu joked. However no awarding laugh was sounded from Lucy as something rang out in her head.

 _'Definitions!'_ Lucy frantically looked at her work on the desk, and cursed at her ability of being distracted. She still had over 20 definitions to look up and memorize.

"God dammit! You distracted me!" Lucy accused.

"Whoa. I didn't know the princess could curse." Natsu ducked from a projectile pencil being thrown at him.

"And there you go again with the princess jokes! And here I was thinking you were a normal nice guy!" Lucy wanted to cry from frustration. She knew it actually wasn't Natsu's fault for her being distracted. And despite his annoying princess jokes and bad table manners, he really is fun to talk to. Lucy took a deep breath in and out of her nose, willing herself to not panic and calm down. "Look. I'm sorry. I was just a little frazzled." Lucy apologized for her rude outburst.

"No worries. I've had worse words thrown at me. Trust me." Lucy only nodded her head in his direction as she tried to sort out and prioritize her next few actions. First she needed to cramp her definitions in her brain. She will give herself at least 20 minutes to familiarize herself with them. And then throughout the night she will just have to periodically test herself in her head. Second she needed to secure a date to the fair. She thought back to Loki. He seemed to be the perfect candidate. Levy doesn't know him, and he is a good friend of Lucy's, so she can easily explain the situation to him. Thirdly she needed to somehow ditch Natsu. Lucy started on the first mission.

One by one she swiftly wrote down definitions on the paper, her handwriting getting messier and sloppy as she when. The tension she held in her hand made a painful reminder of the urgency to get it done. Natsu seemed to understand her rush as his antics were put on hold, and he busied himself with whatever caught his fancy. A quiet chime of her alarm on her phone signaled her 20 minute mark. She had one more left. With albeit horrible handwriting she scrawled the sentence on her paper. She dropped her pencil and cradled her overworked hand. With a short break that lasted a few minutes, Lucy let out a sigh. It was 7:00 o'clock now. An hour left. Gathering her papers and folders she started to pack her things away. She picked up her pencils, some off from the floor, and tossed them all in her pencil bag. A flash of a dark yellow caught in the corner of her eye on the table, she must have missed a pencil. She turned to nab it only to see it was held tightly in Natsu's grasp. His arms were folded in a heap as he laid his head down on the makeshift cushion. Silent snores left his mouth, his back raising up and down repeatedly in slightly uneven intervals.

 _'When did he fall asleep?'_ Lucy racked her brain with the question. She couldn't come up with an answer. She laid a gentle hand on Natsu's back, slightly shaking his body in an attempt to wake the man.

"Natsu. Wake up. It's time to go. Come on. Wakey wakey." Lucy willed her voice to be a soft murmur to not rudely disturb him. Still he groaned at the action, burying himself deeper into his arms, not wanting to wake up from his blissful nap. Lucy wasn't having it. She increased her strength in shaking as she once again shook the man. "Natsu. You have to wake up. Wakey wakey eggs and bakey!" She called to him a little louder. At the mention of food, the pink haired man turned his head to the side in his arms, and opened up one visible eye. With a long sniff of the air Natsu mumbled,

"Liar. I don't smell any food." Despite his accusation, Natsu lifted his head up from his arms and stretched. His hair stuck up in all different directions, and Lucy noticed the slight dark pink splotches of dyed skin on the back of his neck.

 _'Guess he doesn't dye it professionally.'_ Lucy mused. A few pops and cracks later from his stiff muscles, Natsu stood and ran a hand through his hair, a lousy attempt to tame the stray strands.

"I'm leaving, and I figured you didn't want to spend the night here." Lucy explained to the slightly still dazed man in front of her. A yawn left his lips that he didn't bother to cover.

"You are right about that. I wouldn't hear the end of it if Gray found out I passed out in the library." Lucy pushed in her chair and Natsu followed in her example. She strapped her bookbag over her chest and grabbed her phone. Natsu fell into step beside her as the two left the secluded study spot. As they passed the millions of bookcases that went all the way to the ceiling, Lucy noticed that the library was in fact empty. She made a mental note to come back here next Friday to see if it was always this quiet. Nobody likes a busy library. Some people just had too much time on their hands and wanted to find entertainment anywhere. Unfortunately they sometimes chose the library and that left Lucy with a poor studying session. Natsu's voice broke Lucy out of her thoughts.

"So where are we going next?" His voice seemingly eager and empty of all the previously sleepiness. His innocent question almost made Lucy stop in her tracks.

"We? Well I'm going to go find a date. And you are going to do whatever you normally do on a Friday night." She explained as she pushed opened the library doors, the familiar chime of the bell sang out it's goodbye. Natsu still walked with her side by side when outside. The sun was just setting, little rays of the orange light squeezed through the partially covered horizon, splashing the pair with warm light at some angles. Natsu watched as the light weaved in and out of Lucy's hair, making the blonde strands alive with streaks gold. It was memorizing to watch. Natsu shook his head to rid himself of his momentarily distracted state. Lucy had her phone out and was rapidly texting.

"Well why do you need to go find a date when you got one right here?" Natsu innocently asked as he gestured to himself. A growing smile on his face, made Lucy almost smile.

"For your information I believe I already have a date." Lucy showed him her phone screen confidently knowing her friends answer. She had texted Loki about her predicament, and was sure he would simply agree. After all she helped him out in a similar situation before. However when the three dots were replaced with Loki's response, Natsu's smile only widen.

"Looks like your little date is already busy." Confusion sprawled across Lucy's face. She flipped her phone back to her, reading the barista's response.

"What?! What do you mean you already have a date tonight?!" She texted her orange haired friend her questions. The three little dots appeared again. Lucy watched the animation of the dots desperately wanting it to be a joke. The dots disappeared for a slight second before reappearing. The short vibration came with his text. Lucy's eyes scanned the message. Apparently Loki finally got a date with his coworkers friend. He had been pining after her for months now, always saying how her timidness was endearing and her soft fluffy voice was music to his ears. Lucy sighed and shoved her phone in her pocket. A muffled chuckle left Natsu's mouth that made Lucy turn her head and look at him with an irked raise of her eyebrow.

"What's so funny?" She dared him to laugh at her. She dared him. An evil glint flashed in her eyes. Natsu, sensing the girl's annoyance, tried his best to contain his amusement. Because a situation like this was absolutely not funny to him. His mind thought back to the absolutely look of beaming confidence as she showed him her phone. He almost cackled at the irony. Almost. He held himself together. His voice was lower as he realized he might be treading on eggshells.

"Nothing. Nothing whatsoever." He lied.

"That's what I thought." Lucy grumbled out. Now what was she suppose to do? She had a little over half an hour to find a date and meet up with Levy. Lucy face palmed with a soft groan. Through her fingers she glanced at Natsu who all but sparkled at the situation. His eyebrows slide up and down as he slapped on a cheesy smile.

"Don't you have something else to do?" Lucy prompted in a last hope to at least finish number three on her list. "Surely you don't want to be dragged around at a grubby little fair."

"Nope." Natsu replied popping the P. " I normally chill with friends on Friday nights. And look. You are a friend. So let's go chill." He grabbed her hand and tugged her down the street. As he lead her down the street, a gust of wind blew her hair back. An overwhelming stench assaulted her nose. She had smelled this before…but where? She sniffed again, and was met with the same smell. Was it just passing by? Where was it coming from? The smell seemed to be blowing in front of her. With one last inhale through the nose, Lucy pinpointed the smell. Nicotine. And it was….coming from Natsu?

The two had made it to the gates in record time. The sun had set and the fair's lights were illuminating the night. Screams and yells were heard in the distance as the roller coaster raced about. Lucy couldn't help the excited shiver that ran through her body. She had always loved amusement parks. The mouthwatering smell of deep fried food wafted throughout the crisp chilling air. The warm glow of stalls invited many ongoing walkers in, at a chance to win the biggest prizes.

"There you are!" the little bluenette ran towards Lucy and grabbed her into a hug. Lucy let out a laugh as she returned the hug and swung her best friend around. Gajeel ruffled the blonde's hair with his big hand.

"Missed ya, bunny girl." His rough voice was low as he mumbled out the greeting. Lucy eyes warmed. A gentle cough broke the girl out of her musings Natsu stood to the side, hands shoved into his pockets. A sheepish smile laid upon his lips, as he took out one hand to send a short wave towards the trio.

"Ah. Levy, Gajeel. This is Natsu. Natsu this is Levy and Gajeel." Lucy lamely introduce. Levy gave an energetic wave towards the pink haired male, then tugged at the blonde's hand. In a low murmur Levy teased,

"You sure know how to pick them don't you?" Lucy's brain almost short circuited, her face redden by the second as she furiously denied. Gajeel noticed the two girl's whispering and decided to introduce himself better. He walked the short distance over to Natsu and held out his hand.

"Yo. I'm Gajeel. You're the same guy I saw with Lucy at my workplace right?" Gajeel inquired as Natsu grasped his hand firmly.

"Yeah. That was me." Natsu felt an unasked question linger in the air, but he wasn't sure what it was. Natsu held in a wince as Gajeel's hand tighten around his hand suddenly.

"So how long have you and Lucy been dating?" the bluntness of the question didn't seem to shock Natsu. He maintained eye contact with the black haired man searching for any real intents of harm. Seeing as it was only a warning he nearly shoved his hands back into his pockets. Before he could respond, a loud shrill came from Lucy.

"We aren't dating! He is just a fri-"

"Friend. We are just friends." Natsu finished as he slid coolly over to Lucy. He could see the redness of her face fully thanks to the lights of the tents around them. Gajeel eyed the pair before letting a lone eyebrow raise in question. Levy seemed to pout at the statement. Gajeel soon recovered the smiley girl, as he rested his arm on top of her head.

"Are we going or what, Shrimp?" At the call of her nickname her smile dropped from her face, being replaced by a scowl.

"Stop calling me shrimp!" Levy demanded as she broke from his hold, turning around to cross her arms at him. Gajeel just yawned at his somewhat girlfriend's annoyance as he started walking one of the many pathways of the fair.

"Whatever you say Shrimp." he lazily called out. Levy let out a puff of air before following him, the stroke of her short legs fast as she had to catch up to him. When caught up she punched him in the arm with all her strength. His bellowing laughter resounded and he offered the tiny girl his hand. She looked at it before taking it in hers.

"Well they certainly are an odd pairing." Natsu observed.

"And Levy says they aren't even dating." Lucy offered up the information as she started walking after the two in question.

"How can they not be dating? They already act like a lovey dovey couple." Natsu fell into step beside her, his pace slightly slower in order to match Lucy's.

"Sometimes they even act like an old married couple." Lucy laughed lightly at her personal joke. "Whenever I bring it up though, Levy just says it's complicated." Lucy finished with a shrug. Natsu looked at Lucy with a quip of his eyebrow. He then looked on towards Levy and Gajeel an odd sense overwhelming him. The next words that came out of his mouth made no sense to Lucy.

"Yeah. Well it is very complicated...for us to have normal relationships." Natsu normally carefree air turned cryptic once more, and Lucy hated it. She was just about to open her mouth to ask what the heck he meant, when a big, burly man accidentally bumped into her.

"Sorry, ma'am." his voice called out, as he kept on walking. Lucy rubbed her shoulder and continued her own stroll around the fair. However when she tried to turned to speak to Natsu about the topic at hand, she couldn't seem to find him.

 _'He had been here just a minute ago.'_ Her thoughts raced to find a possible explanation as to where he went. Maybe he go lost..? She started to scan the crowd for a tuft of pink hair, but found it hard due to all the flashing fair lights and tents. In the sea of faces she couldn't find his. She started to looked for the tall big black haired man she knew as Gajeel but came up flat as well. She racked her brain for things to do in a situation when you get separated in a crowd.

 _'Do I stay put? Or do I walk around and try to find them? Maybe I should go find a food stall and just stay there? But if I leave my spot maybe when they notice I'm gone they will come back to it and see me not there. Aren't the abduction rates high in fairs?! What if Levy and Gajeel find me dead in a ditc-'_

"With the way you are having a stare down with the ground, I would think it just insulted your mother or something." Lucy whipped her head around to see Natsu, munching on a cone of blue spun sugar. He offered up the pink cotton candy in his other hand to her. Lucy started at the treat. The tiny pink sparkles hidden in the fluff caught in the lights, making it seem magical. She gingerly took the sugary treat into her hands and nodded in thanks. Her mouth loved the way the sweetness dissolved on her tongue. She took another bite.

"You know you could have told me where you were going." Lucy reprimanded as she settled down from the panic in her inner monologue.

"Aw you missed me?" At his tease Lucy just shot him a glare which he laughed good heartedly at. "I saw the cotton candy stall and thought I'd get some for us. I just forgot to tell you. Sorry." Natsu let out a small smile as he apologized

"You're lucky you picked me the pink cotton candy. It's my favorite. So I'll forgive you." Lucy said as she look away from Natsu, stuffing her face with more of the sweetly spun cloud.

"Haha, thanks. Now let's get a going. I hear they have one of those strength tester here, No doubt I'm going to try it and win the grand prize." Natsu puffed out his chest and slapped on a smug face. He grabbed Lucy's hand. "Just so you won't get lost again." he sent her a wink. Lucy's cheeks pinken, a light dusting across her face.

 _'Blushing- a brief, diffuse erythema of the face and neck, commonly the result of dilation of superficial small blood vessels in response to heat or sudden emotion.'_

"You coming Bunny Girl?" Gajeel called out already standing at a game tent, Levy was fully immersed in. Lucy stored away the definition and quickly nodded her head.

The two pairs went around the fair, trying all sorts of games. Lucy had found she was really good at the guessing games. Where as Natsu dominated in the throwing and tossing games. Levy had pointed out that all the fortune tellers and tarot card readers, were total frauds. Lucy rolled her eyes. Levy always was a logical one, not following any spiritual nonsense. The two eventually split up, seeing as Levy wanted to ride the monster roller coaster, with a line the size of the Grand Canyon. Gajeel waited in line with her, as Levy told Lucy to drag Natsu around the fair, maybe even get him to win her a few prizes. Levy's tone held nothing innocent, as she smirked at her friend. Lucy just pushed her friend in the shoulder telling her to cut it out, that it wasn't like that, but her blush proved her words mute.

Lucy lead Natsu to more hit and win games, at which he completely annihilated at. He easily knocked down all the pins, with less than three hits. One round he even knocked them all down with a single ball. Colorful lights flashed about as an animatronic voice announced that he was a winner. The vendor was amazed and offered up Natsu the biggest prize he had. What threw Lucy off was Natsu always denied the vendor's offer, saying he didn't need the prize.

"Why do you not get the prizes at the end?" she finally questioned.

"Why are you asking? Do you want one?" Natsu asked as the shot at the moving target with his water gun. His brow was furrowed, and his forehead sweaty as he concentrated at his task.

"No. Not particularly. It just seems weird." She watched as he dropped his gun, having seemingly won once again.

"Nothing weird about it. You and I both know we don't want to lug around a bunch of giant stuffed animals while we walk the fair." Natsu commented, a bead of sweat running down his temple. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down. "Man, am I thirsty." He lifted up the bottom of his black tank top to dab at the running sweat. With a now semi dry face, Natsu let his eyes land on his blonde partner. "Wanna go grab some grub?" Lucy's stomach growled in response. She gave into the scrumptious aroma of the deep fried food. And it appeared that Natsu was right behind her, eyeballing all the of the food stalls they passed like a rabid dog. Lucy's ringtone joined her stomach in voicing its opinion. She answered.

"Hey Lucy. We are going to head over to the huge food court in the middle of the fair grounds. Gajeel wouldn't go on another ride until he got some food. Want to join us?"

"You have marvelous timing as always Levy. I'll meet you there in five. See ya later." Lucy hung up the phone. She saw Natsu walking towards the 'Make your own Kebab' station, drool seemingly coming from his mouth. Lucy yanked him back by his arm.

"Oh no ya don't. We are meeting Levy and Gajeel in the food court. Come one." Lucy tugged at the man.

"Buttttt Lucy!" Natsu whined. "One little kebab won't hurt, right?" He turned to her with large puppy eyes. Lucy was grateful she had built up an immunity towards the trick. She tugged him once again away from his desired food station, and towards the food court.

"No. We are going to eat at the food court. Come on. Stop dragging your feet!" Lucy nagged at the suddenly five year old man. Lucy's muscles started to ache as she had to actively push Natsu towards the meet up place. When they arrive at the spot, Natsu plopped down in a chair with a huge pout, mumbling about a lost meal. Lucy just sighed and rubbed her arms. She was going to be sore in the morning no doubt. While waiting for Levy and Gajeel to show up, Lucy took out the piece of paper she had shoved in her pocket.

 _'Kaposis disease- Extreme formation of freckles with tendency to ulcerate_

 _Multiple sclerosis- A degenerative disease in which the linings of nerves in the brain and spinal cord deteriorate resulting a wide spectrum of symptoms.'_

"Please don't tell you brought your study sheet here, Luce." A hand grabbed at her paper. She quickly let go of it, not wanting it to rip. Natsu's eyes scanned the sheet, and groaned. "Oh my god. You did!" Natsu started folding up the piece of paper. Lucy's hand desperately shot out, trying to grab the paper from him.

"I need that!" Her pleads did nothing to stop Natsu from slipping the folded definitions into his pocket.

"Tell ya what. I'll help you study throughout the night."

"Really?" Lucy's tone left a hopeful gleam in her eyes. "Thank you so-"

"IF! There's an if." Natsu interrupted. "If and only if, you start actually having fun." Natsu tapped his finger against Lucy's nose. He leaned back in his chair with a knowing smile.

"Pfft, What? I-I've been having fun!"

"Sure. And I'm a monkey's uncle." Natsu sarcastically snorted out. "You've been tense all evening."

"Yeah well someone keeps being the center of attention at any and every stall we go to! Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it is to have millions of strangers congratulate me for your winning streak?!" Lucy retorted crossing her arms.

"What can I say. I'm pretty awesome."

"If anyone is awesome, it's this little girl over here." Gajeel interjected as he pulled up a chair. "She rode over ten rides so far, and hasn't complained once about being dizzy or nauseous." His voice was weak as he sunk into his seat, exhausted. Levy pulled up her chair, and patted his head in pity.

"You never were good at amusement rides." Levy passed the tired man a bottle of water she got from the counter. He graciously gulped down the clean liquid as if it was the drink of gods. "You shouldn't have rode that last one. Your motion sickness double in severity after it." Gajeel only groaned again in response. The pairs ordered their food and dug in, the very tired Gajeel gone at the sight of food. Natsu's manners weren't as bad as they were last time. But that might have been because Lucy was now comparing his habits to Gajeel's, who was lacking in the etiquette of proper eating without making a mess as well. While Lucy tried her best to avoid dodging the projectile food, she turn to Levy to gush about the newest book she got her hands on. The main character was an absolute klutz when it came around to the guy she liked. It was downright hilarious the encounters she had with him. Levy's drink almost went up her nose when Lucy shared one of the embarrassing tidbits.

When everyone was done eating, the entire table was messy. Lucy made a mental note to teach Natsu how to successfully get all the food into his mouth. The night's chill had finally settled in, making Lucy shiver. Levy noticed.

"You know what would warm us up? Another roller coaster! Come on let's go!" Levy started off towards another ride, but before she could make any leeway, Gajeel grabbed the back of her shirt, stopping her in her tracks.

"Whoa, whoa there, pipsqueak. We all just finished eating. I don't think it's a very smart idea to jump immediately back on a fast track death machine."

"I agree with Gajeel. Let's just sit back and chill for a bit." Lucy chimed in.

"Three against one, Levy." Natsu slide up to stand beside Lucy with a small smile. Levy let out a defeated sigh.

"Okay, okay. Fine. How do you guys suppose we all 'chill'?" the cynical taunt in her voice was underlying. She was obviously upset that she couldn't go on more rides.

"Natsu and I have just been walking around the fair, playing stall after stall. Surely Gajeel won't mind playing a few games." Lucy prompted.

"Yeah, Gajeel and I can even have a competition in a few of them." Natsu baited and with a cocky smile he added. "Though I'm sure he will lose." He picked at his teeth lazily, throwing a smug look towards the male.

"Sure I'm going to lose?" Gajeel scoffed, his competitive spirit taking front seat. " I'm sure you're going down, Pinkie." A tick formed in Natsu's eyebrow.

"Bring it on, Metalhead."

The two rushed to the nearest game, and practically scared the vendor, leaving the two girls behind. Lucy laughed at the two as she could still hear them bickering.

"Your aim seems to be a little rusty, eh Metalhead?"

"You throw like a girl, Pinkie."

"You would know!" Natsu shot back, putting so much force into the throw he almost knocked down the whole row. Levy tugged at Lucy's shirt, promptly getting her attention.

"It's almost like those two were made to butt heads."

"Haha, I can't say Natsu isn't a hothead." Lucy joked as they walked to join the guys, who had moved to another stall already. Lucy took this chance to look around and appreciate the carnival-like lights. The roller coaster zipped by, electric blue lights on the bottom illuminating the excitement on the rider's faces. The ferris wheel spun steady, red and orange lights alternating between each compartment. The smell of buttery popcorn wafted under Lucy's nose. The faint sound of cheerful music drifted in the air, that was supercharged with energy. Lucy looked up to the sky, slightly disappointed that, despite how pretty all the lights were, they blocked out the star's natural glow in the night's sky. Twenty minutes passed quickly, and the two men had finally wore themselves out.

"Ah ha! I told you I was going to win!" Natsu taunted.

"Whatever. You have to admit I gave you a run for your money." Gajeel bargained as he tightened his bandanna around his forehead holding back his hair. Natsu gave him a big grin and a punch to the shoulder. Levy walked up to Gajeel and took his hand, resting her head on his arm. They walked on one of the many paths. Natsu knew not to follow them. He glanced around and spotted a certain blonde haired beauty. Lucy was busy looking at a small tent that was selling little trinkets, to notice Natsu sneak up behind her.

"Boo!" he startled the blonde. She yelped in surprise. Natsu almost doubled over in laughter at the look of her face.

"Hey! It's not funny!" Lucy yelled at the giggling man. She stomped her foot in slight embarrassment. She couldn't keep mad for long, as she started to catch the giggles herself. Soon she was laughing with the pink haired boy.

"Haha, see. I think that deserves one definition." Natsu rummaged in his pocket before pulling out the desired piece of paper. "Let's see what we have here…." he mumbled to himself as his eyes scanned the page. She had marked off the ones she thought she already knew. A few were left unmarked at the bottom.

"Paralysis - A total or partial loss of sensation and power of movement, often only affecting a specific part of the body." Natsu smoothly read his voice clear and understandable. Lucy grabbed at the knowledge and mentally willed herself to store it in her brain. She repeated the definition a few times before she nodded. She reached for the paper, until Natsu yanked it back from her grasp.

"I said one definition. You have to earn the others still."

"What?" Lucy asked confused.

"Our deal was you have to have fun in order to get one. Remember?" Natsu knocked his knuckles against her head. "Now come on! Let's go play this one. Just you and me." Natsu dragged her to a balloon pop game.

"But wait. Where did Levy and Gajeel go?" Lucy questioned as she looked around for her friends.

"They went on a stroll alone, probably to do something coupley." Natsu's face looked mocked grossed out as he relayed the information.

 _'Awww.'_ she swooned in her head. _'Maybe she will finally get that kiss.'_ Lucy mentally cheered on her friend. The vendor gave her three darts.

"What level do you want to start on?" The vendor's voice was muffled under his huge grey mustache.

"Easy." Natsu choose for her. Lucy shot him a look. She raised an eyebrow.

"Hard." She corrected. The vendor looked between the two, Natsu shrugged and cocked his head towards the Lucy. He leaned back on one of the tents pillars and crossed his arms. The vendor nodded his head and flipped the lever to hard. The balloons started moving in all different directions. Some had patterns, others were random. Lucy rolled the darts in her left hand, as she aimed one with her right. She let it soar through the air. Miss. She let go of her disappointment and place all her concentration on a red balloon. She aimed carefully, trying to track it's movements before throwing. She closed one eye, and stuck out her tongue. She heard a stifled laugh from her right, no doubt Natsu. She threw the dart. It landed right beside her targeted balloon. Miss. Lucy glanced over to Natsu who gave her an encouraging thumbs up. She scrunched up her nose and shook her head at him, gracing him with the sight of her tongue. This resulted in another laugh from the man.

 _'Deep breaths Lucy. Deep Breaths.'_

Lucy steady her hand, her nerves trying to take over. What was she nervous about anyways? She could easily pop one of these balloons. She had aim like a sniper. They weren't even moving that fast. Lucy blinked, and increased her concentration tenfold. The colors started blurring together. Man, she wished reverse psychology worked on her. She targeted a big blue balloon, boarding the edge. It seemed to be moving only up and down. Okay. Lucy can do that. Easy. totally. She set up her aim. Right as she was about to release her last dart, Natsu sneezed, causing her to lose her focus. Her throw was way off, the dart impaling one of the stuffed animals hanging from the ceiling.

Disappointment coursed through her. She pouted. Natsu glanced at the impaled stuffed animal, before his eyes landed on the deflated girl. Before he could speak, he saw something amazing. The once deflated girl evolved. She squared back her shoulders and sucked in her pout. The look of sheer determination shined in her eyes.

"One more round. Hard." She slammed her hands down on her front counter. The vendor complied wordlessly. She roller the three darts in her hands. One throw. Miss. She bit her lip. Second threw. Graced a yellow balloon. No popping echoed in the air. Lucy did not look disheartened. She breathed out through her nose. With the simple flick of her wrist she sent her last dart flying, unknowingly letting her eyes close before she could see the result.

POP!

"Wah! Luce! You got one!" Natsu laid his arm around her shoulder, squeezing in congratulation.

"Congrats, girly. You got yourself a prize!" The vendor exclaimed while tipping his hat to the side. Lucy opened her eyes.

"Hahaha! Look! I did it!" She sparkled with pride as she turned into Natsu.

"So which prize are you gunna get?" Natsu asked with a smile. He liked the way her eyes were shining with wonder as she looked at the available prizes she could choose from. She tapped her finger against her lip before pointing at the stuffed animal she had accidentally impaled earlier. It resembled a snowman, with it's orange coned nose.

"Can I have that one?" She asked, her voice full of innocence. The vendor nodded as he reached for the toy with his cane. He brought it down and plucked the dart from the stuffed animal's torso.

"So he was your target all along." the vendor joked as he handed over the prize. Lucy laughed and hugged the stuffed animal to her chest.

"Polycythaemia - An excess of red blood cells" Natsu's voice rung out. Lucy looked up to see Natsu scanning the study sheet as he read. A smile found itself spreading in her face as she looked at the pink haired boy. It's moments like these where she appreciated him. She shook her head to rid herself of the thought. She grabbed his wrist and dragged him to another stall, a horse shoe throwing one. They played stall after stall. Laughter was shared and spluttered about. Lucy couldn't remember when she had this much fun in ages, when the last definition was shared, she hardly cared, and dragged Natsu onto a roller coaster. She found out the hard way that he wasn't too keen on the fast moving rides. When they were sitting on a bench, taking a break, much needed to Natsu's standards, Lucy's phone went off. She picked it up.

"Hey, Bunny Girl. Levy is falling asleep on me. We are going to go ahead and skedaddle. Can you and Pinkie get home okay? Or do you guys need a ride?" Gajeel's voice was full of exhaustion. She looked at Natsu's watch on his wrist. It read almost 11:00 o'clock.

"We can make it home ourselves, thanks for the offer though. It was fun hanging out with you guys again." Lucy smiled into the receiver. She had so much fun. I'll see you guys around?"

"That is if you can pry your nose out of your books long enough."

"Haha, says the one who has a secret stash of romance novels under his bed!" Lucy teased. She knew the day she accidentally found out she would always hold it over his head.

"Hey! I told you those were Levy's!" Lucy could just picture his flustered face. She giggled.

"Sure sure. Goodnight Gajeel."

"Goodnight Lucy." came his reply before Lucy hung up. A groan came from the man beside her. She rolled her eyes.

"Alright Mr. Weak Stomach. Time to go home." Lucy patted Natsu's shoulder. He looked so pitiful with his eyes closed, clutching his stomach. His face had a slight sheen of sweat coating his skin.

"You know. If you didn't want to go on the rides, you could have just said so instead of….what was it you said…'Being a man?'" Lucy told Natsu as he rolled over on his side away from her. He only groaned in response. Lucy called them both a cab. It arrived ten minutes later in front of the fair, which was still going at full tilt. "Up and at'em, Natsu. Come on." Lucy swung Natsu's arm around her shoulders and managed to balance half of his weight with hers. She helped him to the cab, with slight difficulties. Lucy told the cab driver the address of her house, meanwhile she tried to coaxes Natsu's out of his weak state.

"Either you tell me, or you sleep out on the streets." She threatened halfheartedly. Natsu seemed to think she was serious and let out a grumble of his address. The slight pout to his features made Lucy almost giggle. "You didn't think I would let you have a improv sleepover at my place did you?" His lack of response was all Lucy needed to finally let loose a laugh at his sorry state. With more energy than Lucy thought he had, Natsu turned over in the car seat and faced her with a glare, which melted away almost immediately into a green face as the taxi hit a bump. A thought crossed Lucy's mind. "Is the car making your motion sickness worse?" The boy seemed to finally find his words.

"A little." His voice croaky and harsh. He moved his head back to rest on the window, probably finding comfort in the slightly cold glass. Lucy racked her brain for a solution. She reached over to the boy to move him.

"The vibrations from the window probably aren't helping." She explained as she gently moved his head to lay on the back headset of his seat. "And you should open your eyes and look towards the horizon, that will help center your equilibrium so the motion won't overwhelm you too much." He cracked his eyes open, the green orbs dark. He turned his head over and stared at her. He hummed in compliance. The yellowed light from the street lamps illuminated his skin as they passed.

"I'm not the horizon." She moved his head back to look straight ahead. His eyes however remained stubbornly on her. She sighed and went on. "When you get home I advise you to make yourself some ginger tea, or well anything with ginger. It's been proven to help settle stomachs, especially when they were upset by motion sickness." He started to close his eyes as he hummed once more. She didn't notice as she went on about how to settle an upset tummy. It wasn't until he almost started snoring that she noticed his now sleepy state.

"Hey. This is important information." She nudged him with her elbow. He cracked open his eyes once more and surprised Lucy with smile.

"It's cute when you get all medical and stuff." He mumbled out. It was the truth. He really liked it when she went on and on about all her knowledge she had store up in that super smart brain of hers. He effectively caused her to choke on her own tongue when he voice it out loud though. In the dark cab, Lucy prayed that no one saw her blush.

"Ahh...well…" she let her sentence hang in the air. The car came to a steady stop as the cab driver opened the window compartment.

"Here we are at Riverside apartments on Strawberry Street." Lucy glanced at Natsu to see him with his eyes on her.

"It's my stop." Was all she found herself saying. She oddly didn't want to leave him.

'Because of his weakened state.' She reasoned with herself. Although deep down she knew that was a lie.

The smile she had seen so many times already spread across the pink haired man's face.

"I'm fine. Go ahead and go." His voice stronger and more lively. Lucy nodded, grabbing her stuff animal, which she named Plue, and started to get out of the taxi. She was stepping out of the car, when she turned around and reminded

"Don't forget what I said about the ginger."

"How could I when it was practically all you talked about!" Natsu reassured her. He let out a chuckle at the familiar tick in her eyebrow at his teasing. She started closing the door when Natsu called to her.

"Sweet dreams, Luce." She paused before replying.

"Goodnight Natsu." He watched as she walked up a few steps before opening the main door and disappearing from his sight. The taxi started moving once more, but not without the taxi driver's comment.

"One sweet girlfriend you got there." Natsu once again only hummed. He had a lot to think about now, and the feeling of the motion sickness kicking back in wasn't helping.

* * *

Next chapter, will questions be answered?


	3. Chapter 3: The Text

A lot happens in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does.

* * *

"Hey gramps, Have you ever met someone who just didn't know?" Natsu mused, trying to act casual. He ran a hand through his wet hair.

' _Ugh. No that was awful.'_ his thoughts turned sour as he looked at himself. A clean circle was wiped clear from the steam on the mirror from his shower. He slapped the two sides of his face and cracked his neck. Time for round two.

"Yooo, old man. Hypothetically, of course, say you met this person, who was like us...but didn't know themselves?" His sentence fell flat in a question as he shook his head. His wet hair splattered the mirror with water droplets. This is going to be harder than he anticipated. He thought to the person in question. Her blonde hair shining in the morning sun, resembling pure spun gold. The distinct smell she had told Natsu she was different. She had to be one of them. He rested his heated forehead against the cool glass of the mirror, his sigh fogged against the surface. Suddenly all the steam in the room was sucked out in a vacuum, as the door shot open.

"Would you quit hogging the bathroom in the morning?!" Gray's voice vibrated the mirror. Natsu tighten the towel around his waist, as he passed his angry roommate.

"Yeah, Yeah. Go ahead to take it. You need to wash away the stench of that cold dead attitude of yours anyways, right?" The cool air hit Natsu's body as he stepped out of the bathroom. He sensed Gray following him to his closet.

"You could at least take shorter showers!"

"Or maybe you should get up earlier from your beauty sleep. It doesn't seem to be doing you any good anyways." Natsu taunted with a smile on his face.

"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black." Gray grounded out through his clenched teeth. He whirled back around and headed into the bathroom. Natsu just continued to get dressed, throwing on a pair of jeans and a graphic tee. He grabbed an apple from the kitchen and bit into it, the nice crunch satisfying to his ears.

It's been almost a week since he went to the fair with Lucy and her friends. And he couldn't wrap his head around what to do. He stared at his phone. She had texted him shortly after the taxi dropped him off at his place. And the text had shocked him quite a bit. Warmed his core even. But that's what the problem was. He shouldn't even be hanging out with this girl! This lovely, beautiful girl, who takes life by the horns. Her sweet smile ghosting over her pale face. He shouldn't be thinking about the way her laugh set a low fire inside his being, her eyes crinkling, as she giggled at his lame jokes. Her brown eyes swimming with so much knowledge and experience, eyes that he could get lost in. Eyes that slowly inched forward as she leaned into him. Or was that him leaning into her? Soft pink lips, ready to be taken into his own.

A growl escaped his throat. This is exactly what he was talking about! She was too tempting to his inner...Natsu refused to finish that thought, not wanting to admit it to himself what the root of the problem was. And the killer part is that she didn't know anything! She remained ignorant about the way the world has two sides. Those who were normal, and those were had a special...twist. But how could she not know that when she was twisted herself? Was she playing ignorant just to fool herself into thinking she is normal? Natsu grimaced. Was she in that same predicament? She did seem to shut herself off from society, throwing herself in her school work. Weren't those symptoms of denial? All of these confusing questions made his mind hurt. He should just stop thinking about her. He threw his apple core towards the trash. It landed in without him even looking. He flipped on the TV, and plopped down on the couch. The mindless shows did nothing to distract him from his thoughts. In fact it was all just white noise, making him concentrate even more. Another factor soon emerged to Natsu that made the whole situation change. Her friend, Levy, would know. There is no way she wouldn't know. A giddy feeling shot through his veins as he shoved on some boots, and grabbed his keys. He sent a lone text to the bluenette saying he needed to talk. While he was on his phone he looked back at the text Lucy had sent him a few nights ago.

' _Would you call that a good first date? (;_

Man he really needed to talk to Levy Before anything of this goes wrong.

Lucy stared at the text screen. Maybe it was too risky of a text? Maybe she was just full of herself. She picked at a lock of her hair, and twirled it between her fingers. She hasn't tried to flirt with a man since...well...ever. She doesn't count that occasional casual flirting to try and get a discount. Besides those never ended up in Lucy's favor. No. This was different. She was actively trying to get a man's attention. Or well does actively count when all you've done is send the man a text with a winky face? It did in Lucy's book, her old dusty book. She flopped down on her bed, wondering what she should do. As a 20 year old in college you would think she would be all about that experience and know how to bend a man around her finger. Well whoever went off thinking nonsense like that just didn't know Lucy. Her past relationships were nothing to go off of.

She mentally went through all of her previous boyfriends. For the first three years of high school she dated an energetic boy named Dan. He was truly her knight in shining armor. Captain of the fencing team. He was the perfect gentleman, always holding doors open for her, pulling out her chair, always sending goodnight texts. She loved him. The way he made her feel needed and wanted. He made her first kiss magical. It was exactly what a self-conscious high schooler needed. They were even voted cutest couple in the yearbook.

But then he got...clingy. Lucy grimaced at the memory. He wouldn't let Lucy have privacy. She wanted to hang out with friends and he would automatically join. Girls night became girl's night plus Dan. He would always get unnecessarily jealous of her guy friends, even when they themselves had relationships. Texting her nonstop to make sure she was okay, and to tell her he loved her. It was suffocating. When they two started talking about colleges was when things finally got to be too much for Lucy. Dan wanted them to go back to his small town and go to the community college. Lucy however wanted to stay in Fiore and go to Fairy Tail, her dream college since she was a little girl. They fought. It was their first real fight, Lucy realized. She ended things. She had to. She didn't want to be tied down in a small town, as a housewife. As much as it hurt her and Dan, she just couldn't do it. Dan had moved back to his hometown without so much as a goodbye, after that. She wondered faintly how he was doing.

A year later she met Sting. Fresh out of high school, Lucy fell prey to his bad boy atmosphere. Who knew Lucy had a thing for tattoos and piercings? The way the club lights danced with the playful gleam in his eyes. Lucy was hooked on him like a drug. He taught her the ropes of adulthood, letting her feel the wild world for herself, only lighting the way. He was rough and rugged, expertly contrasting Lucy's sweet and innocent nature. Lucy would trace over his scar on his eyebrow for hours as he rested his head in her lap as he played video games at her apartment. And when he couldn't beat a level, she would just rub his temples until he would settle down. He would show up unexpectedly and whisk Lucy off to dinner, surprisingly fancy restaurants. He was mooching off of his parents trust fund, Lucy learned later. Lucy tasted danger for a whole six months before he called it quits. Saying she wasn't right for him. Lucy had a funny feeling he broke up with her because she wouldn't lend him some money from her own trust fund. She was slightly betrayal, into thinking that he was only after her money the entire time. Surely that wasn't the case though….right? She might have gained some trust issues from that one.

After that all she really did, romantic aspect wise, was go on blind dates, and a few outings with guys she thought she liked.

' _Yet my incident with Natsu is a first.'_ she thought idly. Surely he was avoiding her because she had misread his intentions. It was silly of her to think they had a moment in the dark cab a few nights ago. It was absolutely insane how she thought a spark had ignited between them. And it was downright delirious that she thought this could grow into anything.

Never one to dwell in disappointment, Lucy grabbed a few textbooks and shoved them into her bookbag. Off to the library for her. Her keys jingled in her movements as she locked her door behind her. Her steps slow and steady as she strolled to the library.

When the old building came into view, Lucy let out alone sigh, as her muscles relaxed. She always found peace at the library. Being surrounded by so many stories is a wonderful distraction for the story unfolding itself in her life. The distinct smell of books wafted under her nose, as the blonde walked by the history sections in order to get to her table. Her table was at the far end of the library, hidden in the unpopular genre of novels, the books that hadn't been checked out in a good five years, just collecting dust in the selves. However it wasn't until Lucy caught a flash of pink did her feet stop in their tracks. She double backed quietly. She was probably just seeing things. Lucy always had a knack for being paranoid. But when her eyes caught the pink tuff of hair once more she couldn't help that little stutter her heart did. He was sitting at a table in the fantasy section, surprisingly surrounded by tons of books. When Lucy creeped closer, she saw he wasn't alone.

Blue hair stuck out like a sore thumb against the dreary brown shelves. Her best friend Levy was sitting across from the pinkie. Her special red glasses snug on her face as her nose was in a book. Natsu was feverishly talking to her about something, but Lucy wasn't close enough to hear anything but the tone of his voice. He sounded desperate. His tone reminded Lucy of Dan's. Lucy didn't know what it was, but something seemed to be bubbling in the pit of her stomach. Here she was, seeing Natsu and her best friend sitting together in the library. She likes all of those things, so why isn't she walking up to the pair to join them? What was stopping her? Maybe it was the fact the atmosphere they had didn't sit right with Lucy. Or maybe it was the fact that Natsu seemingly had enough time to visit with her best friend, but not respond to her text. Even if he didn't want to see her again, the least he could have done was text her his rejection, instead of just ignoring her. But no. Here he was chatting away with her friend in the one place she escaped to in an attempt to get her mind off of him. She saw Natsu's head start to turn towards her direction. Lucy's automatic response was to hide behind the bookshelf. How had he sensed her? She held her breath, belittling herself for hiding. Now it would be weird if they saw her come out of her spot. She mentally prepared herself for the consequences as she peeked her head out from the bookcase to catch another glimpse of the pair.

Green eyes met hers. She whipped her head back so fast it collided with the bookcase. Hard. A few books toppled onto the floor as Lucy's face steadily grew bright red. She rushed to pick them up, crouching down out of her hiding spot.

"Lucy? Is that you?" came the call that was undoubtedly Levy's soft voice. The pitter patter of Levy's feet rushed over to Lucy's spot. Lucy quickly picked up all the books and stood up.

"Uhh. Yeah. I was just, you know looking at some good books." Lucy spit out the lame excuse. At the mention of good books, Levy's eyes shimmered with excitement.

"Oh? Did you find anything interesting?" Levy asked as her hand shot out to grasp one of the many books Lucy had in her arms. Before Lucy could stop her, Levy read the title of the book and froze. The blonde herself looked down at the series of books she had in her arms herself and held in a groan. "You know, I won't judge, but I didn't peg you as the kind of woman who would want to read ' _Captain Underpants.'_ " Levy's voice held a sliver of humor as she gave her friend a knowing smile. Lucy's blush double in severity, as Levy's chiming laughter was spilled throughout the air. The two girls swiftly placed the fallen books back on the shelves. A cough caught their attention. Natsu was walking over to the two girls with a blank expression.

"Hey Lucy." He held her gaze almost religiously, as if he was searching for something. Lucy, being an awkward bean, just forced out a laugh.

"Haha!" Her laugh came off as loud and sudden, piercing the air that even she wince. She quickly lessened her laugher and just stared on. Call her crazy but she swore she could see golden flecks dancing in the green sea of his eyes. She realized she still hadn't responded to his greeting.

"Oh. H-hi there." Lucy decided that the only way to not make this awkward was to just pretend that nothing ever happened. Too bad Lucy was a bad actress. Natsu kept his stare until Levy shoved her elbow into his side, breaking him out of this weird trance like state. Lucy filed in the back of her head to ask him why he always seems to stare later. That is if she can get over her awkward milestone in their new friendship.

"What brings you here?" Natsu prompted as he shared a nervous sideways glance with Levy.

"Ya know. Just...chillin'" Lucy crossed her arms and leaned up against the bookcase. The flimsy bookcase started to tip over, but just before it could lose all of it's center balance Lucy let loose a little yelp and stood ramrod straight

' _Oh my god. Oh my god. 'Just chillin'? That's what just came out of my mouth. Oh my god. Why am I such a dork?'_

"So what are you guys doing here?" Lucy asked, trying to swallow her embarrassment. Both of them seemed to stiffen as her question. Levy's face went pale, as she answered,

"I was just helping Natsu…" She trailed off as she saw said person tense up.

"with my chemistry homework!" His tone ended up in a higher pitch, as he nodded a bit too forcefully. He coughed to ease the strain on his voice. "Yeah! I had some questions and I thought I could ask Levy." Natsu backed. He wasn't lying. Not really. However when Natsu saw the look in Lucy's eyes, he wished he could come clean. He bit back his tongue. Lucy sensed the two were hiding something, and felt a little...hurt by it. Levy could hang out with whomever she pleased. And she knew she didn't always tell her best friend everything...but. Maybe it was selfish of Lucy, to feel betrayal that her best friend was hanging out with a guy she kinda liked, and was hiding something from her as well. Lucy placed a smile over her face, trying to buy into their words.

"I betcha Levy knew every single answer. She's a genius after all." Her comment made the air lighten up a bit, as she moved on from the previous conversation. Levy laughed and her tense muscles relaxed.

"It was a pain to try and explain things to him though. He is so easily distracted." Levy teased the pink haired man. However it seemed Natsu was just proving her point as he stared at the books on the shelves across from him. Levy coughed to get his attention. He jolted out of his thoughts and gave the two girl's an apologetic look.

"Ah. Sorry. I was just reviewing all the...questions and stuff. We have a quiz over it soon after all." Natsu scratched the back of his head. "Uhh. I'm going to go ahead and go home and study more. It was good seeing you, Lucy, Levy." Before Lucy could utter out her own goodbye, Natsu was gone, walking briskly away from the two girls.

Levy sighed, shaking her head at the man's sudden departure. That was albeit the most awkward conversation she had ever been a part of. The bluenette turned to face Lucy. Her friend was looking off after Natsu's departure.

"Hey, Lucy. You want to talk with me for a bit?" Levy lead her friend back towards the table and sat her down. Lucy complied without a single word. " _I_ know that _you_ know something is up." The blonde's eyes met those of her best friend with shock. At this Levy had to let out a little laugh. "You can't possibly expect me to think that the little act Natsu and I put on was believable at all, could you?" Lucy's mouth moved to speak.

"But...I mean...What were you guys doing then?"

"I was just helping him with some life questions. Nothing really special."

"What kind of questions? He isn't in any trouble is he?" Lucy believed that would explain why he hadn't been responding to her. She couldn't help her blood go a little chilly as she realized the severity of the situation that might be at hand.

"Oh gods no! It's nothing like that. But you wouldn't believe me if I told you." That's a line Lucy always hated to hear. If no one told her anything then how was she suppose to even try and believe in it?

"Try me."

"Lucy." The serious tone in her friend's voice shocked Lucy, grabbing her attention more than ever. Levy took on a hushed whisper. "I honestly wish I could tell you. But it's not really my secret to tell." Warning bells started signaling off in her head. It threw Lucy in for a spin. She decided it was best to think about it later instead of dwelling on it in the present. She wanted to know. But she wasn't going to force it out of Levy. Besides after seeing the pleading look on her friend's face she just had to let it go. So much for going to the library to escape her stressful thoughts.

"Okay. Then don't tell me." Lucy reached across the table and grabbed Levy's hand. She rubbed her thumb soothingly across the bluenette's pale small hand. Levy's eyes searched her's with a warm and thankful sight flittering through them. The tension between the two melted and they shared a smile. If Levy wasn't ready to tell her something, even if it seemingly involved Natsu, then Lucy wouldn't push her.

"Thanks, Lucy." Levy replied as she squeezed her best friend's hand. "You want to go out to eat? We could go to that new Italian joint a few blocks away."

"And stuff ourselves practically full of the free bread? You got yourself a deal." Lucy joked as she let the easygoing atmosphere overtake her. The two girls put back the books consuming the table and headed off. Lucy tried her best to forget about the nagging voice in the back of her head, wondering about the many secrets now in plain sight. After the dinner with Levy, she had found herself in her room again alone with her thoughts once more. She glanced at her phone, and felt the wave of self consciousness at full tilt. She squashed the feeling while her fingers were moving before she could think.

' _Sorry. That was too forward of me. I'll see you around.'_

There. She sent the text with a heavy press of her finger. That should settle things.

He was laying down on the couch, watching the ceiling fan spin round and round. The cold circulation of air dried out his eyes. In an attempt to stop the agitation, he closed his eyes, too lazy to get up and turn it off. His thoughts seemed to go along in circles with the fan's blades. Levy's answers made things even more confusing in Natsu's mind.

' _Or at least the answers I could get out of the girl.'_ She was more tightlipped than anyone Natsu had ever encountered. He thought back to their conversation and the events that went down at the library.

" _What do you mean, you don't know what she is?" Natsu half yelled in frustration._

" _Would you clean out your ears once in awhile? I said I won't tell you what she is. It's not my place to tell you!" Levy whispered harshly._

" _But it's true she doesn't know herself right? Why hasn't anyone told her?"_

" _How would you like it if someone walked up to you and told you that you weren't fully human?" However at the recoil of Natsu's head, Levy grimace. "Right...sorry. I forgot about…" Levy took a deep breath and continued with her original statement. "Anyways, if we do that to Lucy she would….she would break. She is already having a rough time."_

" _Well she has to know sometime!" Natsu was fully ready to march right up to her and tell her. She couldn't live her life in ignorance anymore. It was probably the reason she felt unsatisfied with her life. For she is only really living half of it. And Natsu wasn't going to let her live like that anymore, not after he saw the way her eyes would light up like the bright night's stars._

" _I know that! But...just give her some time to reorganize her life." Levy let her voice carry the tone of a plead. She knew Natsu wasn't one to step on eggshells, and why he was so worried about Lucy had Levy wondering if she should be worried as well._

" _And what if that time I give, only makes matters worse?" Natsu questioned._

" _So help me Natsu if you so much as even think about telling her without consulting me first, I won't hesitate to turn you into a frog!"_

" _Oh cause we all know your spells work so well in the first place. Remember when you tried to chant that heat spell?" Natsu teased as he tried to sway the conversation in his favor. At the heat rushing to Levy's face he could tell she remembered all too well._

" _Shut up! That was an accident! And don't try and change the subject Natsu! I'm serious about this." That's when Natsu caught a hold of a wonderful scent. He slowly turned his head around the stare at a bookcase a few yards away. The smell was wafting from there. He kept his gaze locked on the source. When a blonde haired, brown eyed girl, peaked out from behind the bookcase, he had to work to keep his expression neutral._

' _Speak of the devil.' he thought. Her eyes went wide as they clashed with his and she all but slammed her head into the bookcase behind her, trying to hide once more. Natsu stood up fully prepared to run and help the girl, as she had done so many times for him. But Levy was there in a flash, already helping. Natsu saw the nervous glance Lucy sent his way, so he decided to stay back for a bit before approaching her._

The door opening put a screeching halt to his thoughts. Cursed mumbles were all Natsu heard when the door slammed shut, rattling the apartment as a whole. In from the corridor, came a tired looking Gray, his five o'clock shadow prickly and proud on his face. Bloodshot eyes met the lazy ones of Natsu's.

"What are you looking at?" Gray growled out as he ran a hand down his face.

"Nothing, but a frozen bastard." Natsu knew his roommate was exhausted from his busy day, but that didn't stop him from spitting back his own insults. After all, what better way to blow off some steam than a verbal fight with his best friend? And maybe if he was lucky, a few fists would fly as well.

"Well this frozen bastard at least doesn't go brain dead whenever he looks at his phone." Gray hung his coat on the rack next to his shoes he kicked off before coming in. Natsu just clicked his tongue in response.

"If anyone would know about being dead, it would be you, wouldn't it?" Natsu questioned with a small smirk.

' _Come on...take the bait.'_

The next thing Natsu knew he was shoved off the couch a shirtless Gray towering over him. The two tousled around a bit, Natsu hitting his head on the coffee table's leg, and Gray taking a hard punch to the jaw. Each rolling around on the various items thrown carelessly on the floor. Natsu rolled over his left shoulder, pushing Gray underneath him, switching the two's positions. He almost hissed at the fresh air that hit his newly received carpet burn. Gray struggled and fought against Natsu, his hand flying to Natsu's chin, pushing his face away. Natsu's neck strained at the odd angle his head was being forced into as Gray started to kick the pinkie's shins. Natsu managed to maneuver his head around and he bit down hard to Gray's fingers. A few more hits were thrown as the two continued their improv wrestling match. Natsu grabbed a couch pillow and efficiently smothered the stupid iceblock's face. Gray squirmed for a breath of fresh air. Muffled curses were flown left and right as they both released pent up energy in their bodies. It wasn't until they heard a cough that they stopped dead in their tracks. Natsu's grip on the pillow slackened as Gray slowly slide the pillow off of his face, almost wanting to keep it there, thus blocking the sight of a certain fear. The duo slowly turned their heads dread pooling in the stomachs. Sitting legs crossed pulled up to the dinner room table was the long haired scarlet beauty. She was bringing a teacup to her lips, and gently blew on the steaming hot liquid. Natsu wondered faintly in his mind if he even owned a teacup, let alone tea and the like. The two quickly parted away from each other as Erza opened a lone caramel eye.

"I hope you guys weren't...fighting again." her words sent a shiver down the males spines, making Natsu jump up rubbing the back of his neck to rid himself of nerves.

"No! Why on Earth would w-we be doing that?" Gray dismissed quickly with a swift wave of his hand. Erza slid her eyes to Natsu who refused to look death in the eyes. A jab to the rips from Gray made the man speak.

"Yeah! I was just checking to see what color Gray's eyes were…..with my fist?"

A sudden pain in the back of Natsu head had him seeing stars. Gray let out a groan signaling he had been inflicted as well. Erza stood over the two men, the light blocking out her facial features, a glint in her eye being the only thing seen.

"Green." she said to Natsu. "And blue." she gestured to Gray. "Now since that's out of the way, shall we discuss what I came here for , or would you like it I change both of your eyes to black?"

Natsu and Gray both fumbled about with a denial at her offer. They slung their arms around each other in hopes she would buy the sudden truce. Erza sat back down and sipped at her tea once more. Gray reached over to put back on his shirt mumbling about how he lost in the first place.

The three had been friends for years now, and yet Natsu could never get used to the group's antics. The scarlet maiden had forced herself into Natsu's life when she heard about his failing grade in English that was bringing down the classes average. And as student council president, she wasn't having her classes average being dragged down without her doing something about it. Natsu grimaced as he remembered the countless hours of merciless tutoring he suffered through that semester. And Gray after walking in on one of those tutoring sessions and making fun of Natsu, got pulled into the whole mix. Who know Gray Fullbuster was failing history? Least to say, Erza made sure the two boys achieved no lower than B's in all their classes. Erza's cough dragged him out of his memories.

"As you know, the school's annual fundraising event is coming up in two months. And I have assigned you both up on the committee." Natsu whipped his head around to stare at the woman. His mind was going a hundred miles an hour, all thoughts of dread and pity. He had to almost physically hold his tongue, to keep from yelling no to the red head. The last thing he needed in his life right now was an asswopping. Though he hated when she did this. Volunteering both of them up for the odd jobs no one wanted to do in the council. But he wasn't about to go head to head with Erza, so he just hoped it wasn't anything bad. He glanced at Gray who seemed to be praying to the gods. Erza continued to brief them on the upcoming events.

This year's fundraising had plenty of odd events placed throughout the so deemed "spirit week" besides the typical car washes and cookie dough sales. In the recent years Erza, as the student body's council president, has been trying to spice things up with fresh events. But the woman's idea of cool and fun events...just didn't quite match up with the rest of the college goers. Natsu faintly remembered how her first year she tried to throw a bingo contest. It was sad how almost all of the old professors showed up. It was even sadder that Erza had volunteered Natsu to run the event. After spinning the bingo spinner for almost for hours his hand cramped the worst in his entire life. And his voice was raspy and sore from calling out all the numbers in an albeit board and dreary tone when one attendee complain that his cheerful voice was too loud and straining for her hearing aids. Natsu swore that old lady was out to get him.

So when the words marathon and drive in movie theater left her lips, Natsu was pleasantly surprised. Who knew the redhead knew what the young folk these days found fun.

"I'm guessing you had some help choosing the big events this year, huh?" Natsu said after Erza was done explaining this years events. She sipped lightly on her tea, which by the way she pursed her lips after the liquid slipped into her mouth, wasn't sweet enough. Natsu walked into the kitchenette area that was behind her and opened the cabinet in search of the sugar. He found the bag and set it down next to her. She proceed to scoop three spoonfuls into her tea while she responded.

"I'll admit I had some help from the newbies on the committee." Natsu took up a seat across from her while gray continued standing, picking at a stain now prominent on his shirt.

"Think you can convince some of the newbies to clean up this joint as a sorta crazy initiation. Natsu's been making this place into a pig's pen." Gray sneered in his roommates direction. Natsu just picked at his teeth with his favorite finger up.

"I highly doubt Jellal will appreciate that kind of cruel initiation." Erza laughed. Natsu gave her a grin while Gray an upturned side smile. "Anyways, I'll shall share with you your new roles once I get everything situated down with the council." Erza stood up and dusted off her skirt. "In the meanwhile I expect no more fighting from the two of you." She commanded with a raise of her eyebrow. Satisfied as they both saluted her with an aye sir, Erza gracefully walked out of the apartment, however, not before stepping on an empty pizza box laid out on the floor. The smallest splatter of pizza sauce smudged on her new shoes. "And I want this place spotless next time I visit." her tone left no room for arguments. The door slammed, and the room's atmosphere seemed to die down from the previous events. Gray breathed out a sigh of relief and headed over to the fridge to grab a soda pop. The cool whooshed pop of the can opening made Natsu thirst for one himself.

"Hey toss me one will you?" Natsu asked from the table. Gray tossed the pinkie a drink and then proceeded to chug his own. He let out a satisfied ah at his dry throat being relived. "Busy day at the Palace?" Natsu questioned between his own gulps.

"You could say that. You remember that one chick who used to come in everyday?" Gray sat down in the chair Erza was previously sitting in.

"Yeah. The blue haired one right?" Gray blanched at the mentioning.

"Yep that's her. Turns out we hadn't seen her in a while because she went on a cruise with her folks." He remembered how peaceful the joint had been without her presence. Oh how he is going to miss it. Gray had to keep from choking on his drink as he dreaded relaying the upcoming information. "Well she came in today and was so _excited_ to see me that she ran up to tackle me in a crushing hug."

"Oh now that doesn't sound so bad." Natsu laughed at his friend's expression that turned darker.

"Did I forget to mention I was carrying two trays full of pizza and drinks?" Gray ran a lazy hand through his hair. Natsu winced and sucked in a breath.

"So that's why you didn't come home in your uniform." He duly noted. "So did you two get covered or what?"

"Two medium pizza, extra sauce and six drinks coated us head to toe. It was a bigger mess than the time you slipped on some guys receipt." Gray went to get another drink and popped it open before continuing. "It was horrendous. And the girl was so apologetic. She had taken the brute of the spill since she toppled on me." Gray shook his head as he now paced the area.

"Sounds rough buddy. At least it wasn't really your fault."

"But you know what was my fault. After we had both fallen and got ourselves smeared with the greasy food, I of course lost my cool." he took a breath. "I yelled at her. I don't know why I snapped then. I just did. Maybe it was from all the other incidents she causes, or maybe I was just stressed. But she ran out crying." Natsu grimaced at the story. When Gray lost his cool, it wasn't a pretty sight. And he almost always beats himself up for it afterwards. And now that he made an innocent girl, one of his many admirers no doubt, run crying out of the store, he was taking a ride on the guilty train.

"Hey." Natsu clapped a hand over his shoulder. "Surely you will see her again and you'll be able to apologize." A thought passed through Natsu. "What was her name again?"

"Juvia." Her name flowed out of his mouth as he recalled the name on top of the many receipts he had given her. She had probably told him her name in a conversation that he had just blocked out though, just giving correctly timed hums here and there. Natsu finished his drink and tossed the empty can into the recycling bin.

"With the way she looked at you before, I'm sure this Juvia will be back. After all she is one of your most devoted fangirls."

"Why do you always call them fan girls?"

"Because that's what you call a group of girls who follow you around because you supposedly attract them. Which by the way I don't see possible. They are obviously blind for not noticing your ugly mug." Natsu smirked as he tried to rile up the black haired grump. Of course Gray felt a little angry tick form on his forehead before he swung around face mere centimeters away from his roommates.

"Wanna say that again?"

"You suddenly deaf?" Natsu prompted. But before Gray could let out a battle cry and beat Natsu's with his fists, a yelp followed by a crashing sounded from the neighboring apartment. Several other bumps and noises followed shortly after the initial crash, some sounding like glass shattering and feet pounding on the wooden floors. Muffled yells and shouts were thrown about. Natsu and Gray shook their heads at their neighbors disruptive nature. Little did they know everyone on the apartment complex's floor labeled the two guys as the disruptive troublemakers.

The noises and shouts were coming from the neighbor on their left, and Gray raked through his mind to recall what neighbor it was who occupied that dorm. The face of an elderly woman came to mind.

"Our neighbors seemed to be having some trouble? Want to go check it out?" Gray asked, knowing that Natsu would fully want to investigate the scene of the crime as if he were a detective.

"You betcha! I'm all fired up!" Natsu roared as he headed towards the door. The two males were knocking on their neighbor's door moments later, only for it to fling open. Sharp nails pierced into Natsu's neck as a furry blur was thrown out the door.

"And stay out you filthy animal!"

"Granny! He just wanted to play with Carla!" The voice of a younger girl screamed as she ran up from behind her older guardian. She gasped as she saw the scene before her unfold. Meanwhile Natsu struggled with the animal now digging it's claws deeper into his skin, hissing at the old lady who was shaking her fists at the deemed dirty runt. Gray broke up into a fit of laughter at his friend's predicament.

"Don't just stand there! Help me!" Natsu desperately yelled at Gray. After swallowing back up his amusement, Gray tried to grasp the small cat clinging to his friend, only to yelp back in pain. Three red scratches stung his hand, starting to pulse with blood.

"The little bastard scratched me!" Gray yelled at the stinging pain only to be hit in the head with a wooden cane.

"Watch your language young man!" The neighbor scolded before she slammed the door in front of the two male's faces, that were twisted with discomfort and pain. A now muffled voice yelled,

"Granny! You can't do that to people!" Her cry wasn't rewarded by any response from the old lady, or if it was Natsu and Gray couldn't hear. A second later the door opened once more to reveal the younger occupant. Her dark blue hair was done up in messy pink-tails. A white cat rubbed up against her legs. She looked apologetic as she shut the door behind her and stand out in the hallway with the two strangers her grandma had rudely dismissed. She swiftly tried to removed the cat from the back of Natsu's neck. "Here kitty kitty." At her soft calls the cat retracted his claws from Natsu's flesh and jumped into the girl's arms. She scratched behind the small cats ears calming the creature from his earlier flight. "I'm sorry about Granny. I'm sure she didn't notice you guys when she tossed the cat out. Her eyesight and hearing are deteriorating." The young girl sat down the cat next to her white one currently at her feet. The cat happily meowed at the fairer one.

"No problem. We always knew she wasn't the sharpest neighbor we had." Natsu stated right before Gray shoved his elbow into his ribs while clearing his throat. "I mean...No offense." Natsu corrected. The girl just laugh at the gesture, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Don't worry about it. You said you guys were neighbors? Did you need something?" The girl question, adorning a mature air about her. Gray responded while Natsu crouched down to play with the cat that was previously attached to his neck.

"We were actually just wondering what all the ruckus was about. We live next door on your right and heard quite a fight."

"Oh! I'm sorry! I hope we didn't disturb you too much!" The girl's eyebrows pinched in worry.

"No, no. It was no disturbance, Miss…"

"Wendy. Wendy Marvell. I'm currently staying at Granny's house while my mom is away on a business trip."

"Well then Miss Wendy. Mind me asking why your Grandma was throwing out a cat?" Gray asked as he noticed Natsu play with the little feline a slight smile gracing his feature.

"I found him on the streets a few days ago and brought him in. However he is quite the troublemaker and started causing fuss." Wendy relayed the information with a shake of her head. "It seems Granny grew sick of it. She wobbled all around the apartment chasing him with a broom." Natsu let out a gasp of horror.

"This little guy? Why he seems harmless!" His fingers found the soft spot behind the cat's ears, letting the little guy erupt into a puddle of purrs. The cat meowed in bliss of Natsu's magic fingers.

"Tell that to Granny's sets of ruin curtains." Wendy joked with a raise of the eyebrow. Gray laughed at the image of the little cat climbing on the fabrics.

"So what will happen to him now?" Natsu asked as he helped the cat climb back up onto his shoulders. A headbutt was rewarded on his ear as he heard the cat's purring more prominent. His heart immediately melted. He never had a pet before. Wendy face seemed to fall as she wandered the question herself.

"I don't think Granny will let me keep him any longer here no matter how much I beg." The little girl sighed sadly. "So I guess I'll just take him to a shelter." At the thought of the little guy being tossed away into a shelter, Natsu's heart dropped. As if sensing his fate, the cat meowed quietly, his eyes glistening with what looked like tears. That moment, Natsu's heart broke.

"I can take care of him!" Natsu yelled as he grabbed the animal up in his arms, all bundled up.

"Wait, Natsu. You can't ju-"

"I promise I'll take good care of him! I'm great with cats!" Natsu pleaded to Wendy, only to be spitted by her white cat who hiss in Natsu's direction. "Or at least he seems to like me." The cat in questions meowed contently in Natsu's arms as he licked his whiskers.

"You don't know the first thing about taking car-" Gray started up before Natsu turned towards him.

"Oh but I promise I'll learn! I'll take excellent care of him! It's a him right?" Natsu voice resembled that of a kid in a candy store. "Ah what does it matter. So please! Please Pleassseeee!" Natsu begged the two individuals in front of him. Gray gave a sideways glance to Wendy.

"It's fine with me if it is with you." She responded to his unasked question. Natsu turned his pleading face full on Gray even holding the cat right in front of his face.

"Look how cute he is Gray! How can you say no to a face like his?" Natsu pursed his lips and Gray sighed through his nose as he tried avoiding looking at both the animal and Natsu's face. The pair had oddly seemed already in sync as they both wore pouty expressions, or at least as much as a cat could pull off.

"I'm not cleaning his litter box."

"YEs! WOooo! You hear that little guy!? I'm your new owner!" Natsu shouted as he hugged the cat to his chest. Wendy giggle at his antics, letting out a little cheer of her own. Gray rolled his eyes before heading back inside his apartment after saying his goodbye to Wendy.

"So does this mean I can visit him whenever you are free? I can bring Carla and they can have a play date!" The white cat, named Carla, seemed to arch her back at the idea.

"Of course!" Natsu ruffled Wendy's hair. Who would have thought he would gain a new companion today? He said he goodbyes to Wendy, promising her to set up a play date soon. He closed the door to his apartment rushing inside to play with his newest friend. However Fate seemed to want to rain on his parade as he immediately slipped on the forgotten empty pizza box, thus falling on his ass. The cat yowled at the sudden fall, his claws finding foundation on Natsu's chest. He really needed to clean up the place. Little did he know that his phone he discarded once he got back from the library sat with an unread message that certainly held a misunderstanding.

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the lack of NaLu action. I wanted to set up some more characters that will play more important roles in the future. I added a splash of supernatural here. More to come as the story unfolds! Until next time!


	4. Chapter 4: Fights

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does.

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The early morning light shone inside the empty pizzeria, the sound of a broom sweeping across the floor rhythmic and steady. Pizza Palace was just opening up, their ovens preheating with a low gentle hum. A raven haired worker unlocked the front doors and flipped the sign over to let the customers know they were open. After the task was done, he went back to sweeping, grabbing the dustpan to gather up all the dirt. He knew customers didn't really start coming in until roughly noon for lunch. Before he could even sweep one scoop in, the door open, letting loose the chime of a tiny bell. Gray turned slowly stifling a yawn as he welcomed the incoming customer.

"Mornin'" His greeting was slightly rough as he had yet to get rid of the gruffy sleepiness in his voice.

"Good morning, Prince Gray." A soft voice responded, floating around the room. The dustpan clattered to the ground, as Gray's eyebrows arched in surprise. He turned fully around to be confronted with a blue haired girl, her soft blue dress landed just above her knees in a cloud like effect. Juvia. Gray stood gaping at the women, as his brain frozen in the moment. It was only yesterday that the 'incident' happened, and Gray didn't get a wink of sleep last night as the minute he closed his eyes to try and succumbed to the blissful void her tearful eyes flashes in his mind. Least to say after the fifth try, Gray just ended up staying up until the wee hours catching up on some reading. He could feel the heavy bags from under his eyes grow throughout the night due to his lack of sleep. And the very reason was standing right in front of him, twiddling her thumbs, as she planted her gaze firmly on the floor next to his feet. Gray shook his head to try and come up with a coherent response. What did she even say again? He just hoped it wasn't a question and went with the most likely generic response.

"Uh...How are you..?" he asked gently as he wished he didn't notice the slight redness to her eyes.

"I'm...good." She admitted with a nod as her eyes glanced up to met his. Gray gulped before continuing. He borrowed a tactic of hers as he decided to have a staredown with the floor.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to yell at you like that…" He took in a much needed breath before continuing. "And make you cry. I'm sorry." He added once more noticing her eyes watering up as he apologized. Panic raised in his throat. What did he do wrong this time? Wasn't he suppose to apologize? Before he could ask her what was the matter, she bolted at him, arms wide. She crushed him against her body without care.

"Oh Prince Gray! I accept your apology!" Her hug tightened around his torso with each of her words. Gray swore he heard a rib crack. She continued her rapid talking, saying how she could never hate him and how she was so happy they made up.

"Ju-Juvia…" He croaked out. "Can't b-breathe…" he let his words ghost across her ear in hopes that she would hear him even in her self induced word marathon. However she didn't and Gray started feeling lightheaded. When the upcoming feeling of the cold shot through his bones, he shivered. His skin followed letting lose a ghostly chill. This seemed to bring Juvia out of her trance as she gasped. She quickly retracted her arms from his person allowing him to breathe. He took in deep gulps of air, mentally warding off the cold from within him. He pushed himself further away from Juvia as he grabbed ahold of the front counter for support. That was a close one. When he felt his heartbeat calm down, he turned to a worried looking Juvia. She moved to touched him, words of reassurance and pity on the tip of her tongue. Before she could even utter a lone word though, Gray moved out of her reach.

"It's fine. I know you didn't mean it." Gray said carefully as if defusing a ticking time bomb. Which in a literal sense he was. The last thing he needed right now was for her crying voice to bounce off the walls. That would be a disaster for the whole town. Juvia seemed to accept his distance with a looked of understanding. She stepped back a few feet of her own.

"Do...you guys have the oven fired up already?" Her tone obviously shy and hesitant. Gray grunted as he reached down to pick up the forgotten dust pan. With two swift movements, he swept up the little dirt pile and tossed it in the trash.

"Do you want your usual?" Gray asked casually as he went around the front counter to turn on the menu and register.

"Yes, please." Juvia nodded gratefully. A grunt was her only response once more as the raven haired worker moved to the back kitchen. The sound of the faucet faintly resounded before the sounds of kitchen work followed. Juvia sat down at her table that was tucked in the corner with a perfect view inside the kitchen through the wide window. She watched peacefully as Gray beat the dough into a ball, his fists pounding hard into the floury ball in order to make the crust the perfect texture. He sprinkled some oil onto the laid out flatten crust before smothering it in red sauce. With thoughtless hands he sprinkled mozzarella and Juvia's favorite topping. Anchovies. When he was all done he shoved the small pizza into the backs of the oven and washed his hands, riding them of the dead fish. Right as he grabbed the towel to dry off his hands, the bell outside signaled another customer.

Gray walked back out into the front, to be greeted with a figure basked in the morning rays. Long legs flowed into a curvy shape as Gray's eyes trailed up to the customers face. Blonde hair seemed carefully styled around a rounded face.

"Good morning." The customer greeted, stepping out of the shining light, making her features unshadowed. "Umm. I am looking for a guy named Natsu. He works here, right?"

' _Now why would a girl like this be looking for a washed up flame like Natsu?'_ Gray couldn't help but question. He suppose Natsu had gained a few followers since working here, but not nearly as many as him. He grimaced as he spared a glance at Juvia. She seemed to be trying to hide a very prominent glare in his direction, or well maybe it was towards her.

"He does, but he isn't scheduled to work today." His words caused the girl to deflate. She spoke softly her eyes darting to look around the joint.

"He told me to meet him here." She looked at her watch before tilting her head. "Though I suppose I am a little early." She smiled slightly to herself. Gray declared the girl shy and gentle, quite the breath of fresh air.

"Knowing that idio-ahem I mean knowing him, he might be a little late even." Gray laughed a little in an attempt to rid the air of the strange resistance. The girl rewarded him with a smile of her own.

"Do you mind if I wait here then for him?"

"Be my guest. My name's Gray, so if you need anything just holler." Gray offered as he started heading back towards the kitchen. Juvia's pizza was probably done, so he grabbed the wooden spatula and whipped it out. He added finishing touches as he sliced the pizza into six equal pieces.

Meanwhile, Lucy sat down at a high chair table, absentmindedly swinging her feet. She was 20 minutes early, and she knew her anxiousness would only drag out the time even more. She had gotten a text from Natsu last night saying how he wished to talk to her, and how sorry he was for ignoring her text. Lucy almost wanted to laugh as he proceeded to send her all the sad emojis along with some cheesy quotes about forgiveness. So call her a smuck, but here she was planning to meet the guy she couldn't get out of her head sitting on a high chair, swinging her feet like a blissful child. She had pushed away all the nagging thoughts about the secret Levy couldn't tell her about and instead focused on the present. Sure Natsu had ignored her for almost a week, and yeah being around him sometimes stressed her out, not to mention he is a huge weirdo. But there were these moments they had sometimes. Moments she couldn't really explain. He made her feel wanted. Treasured even.

'It sounds crazy, but...there isn't another way I can describe it.' Her thoughts on the matter always seemed to circle back to seeing him once more. Or twice more. Or thrice more. However many it takes to figure out what she is feeling and if it's something more. If it's a good feeling that she could take hold and never let go. Perhaps she is getting ahead of herself, but the light glittering emotions that bubbled up in her these past few outings, didn't seem to be going away, anytime soon. She glanced around the pizzeria noting it was desolate, except for a lone girl, munching away on a small pizza. The smell wafted over to Lucy, and her stomach growled.

'Now now Lucy. Pizza for breakfast is absurd.' she shook her head to rid herself of her temptation. Her eyes roamed to instead the black haired worker. What did he say his name was again? Greg? He walked with smooth steps back into the kitchen. His hair was tied neatly in a small ponytail in the back, revealing his strong jawline and hard facial feature. A harsh shiver ran through her body interrupting her observation of the man. Her stomach turned slightly as she notice the blue haired girl glare at her with the firey pits of hell in her eyes. She was teething on what seemed like a handkerchief, as she bounced her leg up and down. Lucy gave a small wave towards the girl, not really knowing what to do in a situation like this. Though her gestured seemed to fuel the flames and Lucy took solace in glancing at her watch once more. Five more minutes until he was suppose to be here. The screeching of a chair attracted her attention. Her heart sped up in excitement as she smiled brightly and raised her head.

In a stark contrast, riving in jealousy, was the blue haired girl. She had sat herself firmly in the chair across from Lucy, still glaring with a furious gleam. Lucy's comfort levels flew out the window, as the blue haired girl narrowed her eyes and spoke.

"I don't know who you think you are, but Prince Gray isn't looking for any sort of relationship right now." Though at the end of her sentence, her words lost their venom as she seemed to realize them herself. She shook her head before resuming her glare on the blonde.

"Gray? I'm afraid I don't know who you are talking about." Lucy replied confused.

"Oh don't play dumb with me. You know exactly who I'm talking about." At the still confused look in Lucy's eyes, the blue haired girl huffed as she gestured to the handsome worker in the back kitchen. "Prince Gray! You know the guy who you were totally checking out!"

"Whoa whoa whoa. First off, I thought his name was Greg. Second off I was not checking him out! I was just observing." Lucy defended as she felt her anger slightly grow.

"Oh trust me honey, you were checking him out! And I'm telling you right now that you have no chance in hell at him!" The blue hair girl started yelling.

"And I'm telling you I'm not interested in him! I barely know him!" Lucy now yelled back, not liking being accused. The woman just scoffed in response

"That's what they all say. A lowlife hussy like yourself should just vanish from his sight!"

"How about you vanish from my sight and leave me alone!"

"Not until you leave Prince Gray alone!"

"What are you? His bodyguard?! You seem more like a stalker to me!" At Lucy's words, she saw a flash of hurt run across the woman's eyes. Before Lucy could react properly the blue haired woman whipped her hand back in the air. Lucy's eyes contracted on the movement before she quickly shut her eyes, ready to flinch in hopes of dodging the hit. However before she had the chance to, a deep yelled resounded.

"Juvia!" The voice was reprimanding and angry. The pizza worker, whose name was apparently Gray, grasped the rude woman's wrist in his tight hold, stopping it from inflicting any damage.

"Prince Gray!" The woman, who Lucy assumed was Juvia, gasped before yanking back her hand from his grip as if it burned. "I was only trying to-"

"I know what you were trying to do. Now go back to your table." Gray spoke cold and calmly. He added seeing as she was frozen in place at his harsh distant words. "Now." Juvia moved swiftly to the other side of the pizzeria and pouted as she sat down. Gray could just feel the thundering clouds roll off of her, as she mucked in her own agitated world. He ignored the slight guilt in his stomach and instead faced the now slack jawed female in front of him. She stared at him, her eyes wide, and Gray almost panicked thinking that he had changed, his features sneaking out despite his control. He breathed out a sigh of relief as he was still in humanoid form.

"I'm sorry about Juvia. She is her very own storm just waiting to happen." Gray offered a somewhat apologetic smile. It seemed to work for Lucy as she smiled back hesitantly, possibly still afraid of the consequences, seeing as Juvia was watching her with a threatening eye.

"I'm just glad you were here to help. So thank you."

"No problem…."

"Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia." She urged her hand out in a simple introduction. Gray took it with a hesitance of his own, which made Lucy wonder if he was one of those types who didn't like formalities.

"Heartfilia, huh?" As soon as her name left his lips, he broke the handshake clumsily and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I heard about your dad in the news. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry. I wasn't close with him all that much." Lucy swept a stray piece of hair behind her ear as she waved off his apology.

"You said you were waiting for Natsu right? He still isn't here?" Gray questioned trying to get his mind off the slight ache in his hand and the thought that he might be seeing her dad very soon.

"Well It's only five minutes past when we were suppose to meet. I wasn't expecting him to be exactly on time by the minute." Lucy laughed softly, only realizing she was slightly lying due to the presence of disappointment within her. But as soon as the seed of disappointment was identified with quickly was replaced by anxious hope as the bell jingled. Lucy whipped her head around. Couched over, huffing and puffing, was the pink haired male she's been waiting to see. His clothes were rumpled and his hair a mess. He straightened himself out to the best of his ability, trying to monitor his breath. His eyes darted around the pizzeria, taking notice of the sulking Juvia and the Gray and Lucy on the other side. He gulped as he saw Lucy's eyes fill up with amusement, no doubt at his sorry state.

Natsu couldn't capture a wink of sleep last night, constantly tossing and turning at the idea of meeting up with Lucy the next day. He wasn't sure if it was the excitement that scared him, or his desire to understand her better, but whatever it was sure as hell didn't like being ignored, thus kept popping up in his mind when he would try to catch some Z's. So instead of rolling around in his bed, Natsu decided to go do something productive. He walked towards the kitchen area of their apartment, which oddly enough, already had the light on. The soft glow illuminated the dining room table, and his fellow roommate, who was reading one of his many books. Natsu shared a silent glance with him. Seeing as they were both in the same sorry state, Natsu had asked if he wanted anything to eat. After all eating was a productive thing to do in Natsu's book. Ten pancakes later, and the two were full, bellies stuffed and warm with the hotcakes. It was five AM before Natsu was able to fall asleep, to Gray's deep voice as he read out loud his book. The dining room table left a crick in his neck, the dull ache tense within his skin no matter how many times he rubbed and massaged it. It didn't help that he woke up late, roughly about ten minutes ago, explaining his messy state right now. He walked towards Lucy with a sheepish smile adorning his sleepy facial features.

"Took you long enough, flamingo head. Lucy had been waiting forever now." Gray punched Natsu in the arm. Natsu returned the punch with the same force.

"Thanks for keeping her company." Gray then said something about confronting a certain upset bluenette under this breath before walking away. Natsu took the seat in front of her, noting her still amused glance, as she smiled brightly at him.

"Did you get in a fight with a bear on the way here or…?" Lucy laughed.

"For your information I woke up late." Natsu replied as he stifled a yawn. Lucy felt her heart stutter at the sleepy state he was in, reminding her of the night in the cab. The night when whatever this was started.

"So…." Lucy started up.

"Sooooo…" Natsu mimicked, with a cheesy smile, drawing out his in an attempt to annoy her. He was rewarded with an eyeroll and a slight huff under her breath.

"You had something you wanted to tell me?" Lucy bit out before she backed out, knowing she was a coward who gently peeled the bandage off instead of ripping it. Natsu shifted his chair closer into the table before clearing his throat.

"Yeah...about that. I'm just going to start this off with an apology."

"Were the fifty you sent over text not enough?" Natsu loved the way her eyes twinkled with teasings and mirth.

"It was only twenty, and no. No they weren't" Natsu shot right back. "So I'm sorry." He finished as he clasped his hands together and bowed his head.

"I already told you I forgive you." Lucy stated matter of factly, but seeing as he wasn't moving from his position anytime soon she restated. "But if you want to hear it one more time then alright. I forgive you." Lucy shook her head at his nonsense as he jumped right out of his position, his face lit with joy.

"Thanks Luce!" he held out his hand for a high five. Lucy automatically reached for his hand to receive and almost bursted out laughing, her smile so big her face ached.

' _Who high fives the person after being forgiven?'_ Lucy thought as the satisfying sound of their hands hitting resounded. What she didn't expect though was not being able to retract her hand as Natsu smoothly kept hers in his own, bringing it down to rest on the table. He gave her hand a light squeeze, before they both fell apart into giggles.

"And now you are holding my hand hostage?" Lucy questioned, secretly liking the way his warm hand covered hers, making her feel an odd sense of security. Whenever she was with Natsu she couldn't get the feeling of being real out of her mind. She was more than a student who happened to get straight A's and impressed her professors. She was more than a body walking a path of life blindly towards the future. She felt so much more than a single person alone in the world with big dreams. Lucy squeezed Natsu's hand, and the fuzzy feeling overwhelmed her. Natsu's eyes searched hers, with a deep understanding, and right then and there Natsu almost did something silly. He almost threw caution to the wind, allowing his sense to fleet along with it, fully taking the consequences of his shoulders. But that didn't mean she would, despite the look she was giving him seemed to signaling all the right signs. Perhaps she would be the one. The one who would accept him for who he is, for what he is.

"You don't seemed to be fighting it, princess." Natsu stated softly caught in the little bubble they had created for themselves.

"Maybe I don't want to fight it." Lucy matching his tone of voice. They both let the giddy feeling engulf them, neither noticing the brewing fight in the corner of the joint until the yelling started.

"You always treat me like a child!" Juvia's shrill voice echoed off the walls, making the back of Lucy's head release a jolt of pain. The spell was broken between the two, leaving them both wanting more.

"Maybe _you_ should stop acting like one then!" Gray responded with an even voice, contrasting Juvia's loud voice.

"I'm _not_ acting like a child! You always use that as an excuse!"

"Yeah well it's because you always pull stunts like this!" Gray's voice strained. He couldn't believe he was fighting with her again. But her behavior was getting out of control again and she didn't care about the path she found herself on. The lights flickered slightly at the energy being put off. Juvia's face crumpled in on itself before she opened her mouth wide. Natsu's hands were quick as he covered Lucy's ears completely with his hands, blocking out the oncoming noise. A ear shattering wail broke out, making Natsu and Gray whince. Lucy was left confused as she could hear someone screaming, but not the full force. She moved to uncover her ears, but Natsu's hands were firm and steady over them, unyielding. The yelling stopped a split second later, as Natsu's hand limped on their hold, only to be removed a moment later to cradle his own head. With Lucy's hearing now restored, she heard crying and whispers from the corner of the pizzeria. Turning her head she was greeted with the sight of Gray kneeling down his hands outstretched but not touching Juvia's form, which was crumpled over in the fetal position. Lucy was about to jump up to go over and check up on the Juvia to make sure nothing was wrong. Even if the woman yelled at her, she didn't deserve to be in pain. However when her muscles moved to walk, she was stopped by the sound of the grunt of a certain male. In front of her groaning and rubbing his forehead was Natsu.

"Oh my god! Natsu. Are you okay? Was the scream that loud?" She made her voice soft yet firm. She tilted his head up and removed his hands that were applying pressure to his temples. Their positions reminded her of a few weeks ago, when she checked his nose for damage.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm just going to have a splitting headache." He cracked open his eyes, and wasn't surprised to see Lucy's face in such close proximation. Worry swam in her eyes, deepening the brown irises into a dark rich chocolate, her lips slightly apart as she breathed in and out. His breath automatically synced up to hers, their chests rising and falling at a steady pace. Lucy's hands took up a space next to his eyes, just resting underneath the curve of his brow, and she applied a delicious soft pressure. Natsu's headache ebbed away as if allergic to her touch. He leaned into her hands, wanted very much for her caress to never end. However it seems fate was out to spite him for as soon as he thought that her fingers stopped their magic, and she spoke in a hushed whisper.

"Should we...check up on them?" She gestured her head subtly towards Gray and Juvia. Juvia had been coaxed out her balled up form, silent tears down her face, she looked shocked and guilty. Gray had stood up and was anxiously looking over towards them, his body heaving a sigh. He moved back to bend down closer to Juvia and whisper something in her ear. She nodded and rushed to her feet, and without a spared glance towards the duo across the room, she fled the building. Lucy's eyes followed the blue haired woman as she became a small speck on the street down the block. When she looked back to Natsu, Gray had made his way over.

"I'm sorry you guys had to see that." He stuffed his hands in his pockets, mulling over his keys taking comfort in the slight jingle. His eyes found Natsu's with a silent question shining within.

"I'm just glad Lucy didn't have to hear it. Juvia's _screams_ sure are loud." Natsu stated with a side glance towards the blonde. The tension melted away in Gray's body, relieved at the fact Lucy was spared from the woman's wails.

"She told me to tell you guys she was sorry. She can't control her emotions sometimes." Lucy spoke up.

"It's fine. She seems like a good girl, just sensitive towards..." ' _Everything regarding you.'_ "certain things." She finished. Natsu snorted and Gray scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah…" Gray agreed lamely, as he licked his lips. "Anyways, I'm going to be in the back. Holler if you need anything, Lucy."

"What about me?!" Natsu complained.

"You work here. You can get it yourself!" Gray commented with his back turned towards the two already.

"Why you little!" Natsu yelled to his retreating figure. Lucy laughed at the exchanged between the two friends. Natsu's head snapped back to Lucy, before sheepishly smiling. He joined in on her laughter, allowing his gruff voice to harmonize with her soft laugh.

"So that's the infamous Gray I keep hearing about."

"I've mentioned him before?"

"Maybe once or twice."

' _And then I asked Levy to spill everything she knew about you….'_ Lucy sweatdropped.

"Well that's him." Natsu decided if Lucy was going to be around more and more she should know a few boundaries so he continued. "He doesn't really like being touched. It's umm, what does he called it…" Natsu pulled a blank.

"Haphephobia?" Lucy prompted.

"Yeah! Or at least something that sounds like that." He scratched his head.

"Thanks for letting me know. Gajeel used to have something like that, and then Levy helped him get over it."

"Oh yeah? Well his case is a little bit more...complex."

"Maybe that Juvia girl can help him? She seems pretty close to him." Lucy recalled the way she was trying to 'protect' him from her earlier.

"She's super overprotective of him, yeah, but I believe the problem is Gray not wanting to really change. Or at least change the way she wants him to." Natsu sprouted off. Lucy wanted to ask what made Gray not like being touched. Normally a case like this had a core relation to trauma in the childhood or teenage years. But seeing as she was getting into perhaps darker territory, she decided to hold her tongue. She could always get to know Gray better and ask him herself.

"Oh she _is_ overprotective of him alright." Lucy commented instead. Natsu seemed to catch something hanging onto her words and raised an eyebrow.

"Did something happened with Juvia before I got here?" Natsu questioned, the image of Juvia glaring when he enter the shop clear in his mind.

"Umm. Not really anything big." Lucy averted her eyes not wanting to relay the information.

"Luce, Do I have to pry the answer out?"

"No. It honestly wasn't anything big. She just walked over to me and just said I should stay away from Gray. Nothing too bad." Lucy played down the incident.

"Okay." Natsu said not really believing her. He may not have know. Juvia very well, but from what he's seen of her actions these past few months at the pizzeria, she rarely ever stops at "just saying" something. His face must have portrayed his thoughts.

"I'm telling the truth!" Lucy replied at his skeptical agreement with a slight smile on her face.

"I didn't say you weren't!" Natsu defended with his hands raised in mock surrender.

"Ah, but you implied." the blonde pointed out.

"But you implied something happened first." Natsu countered a look of victory shining proudly in his eyes. The two had a stare down, before a loud clattered broke the two apart. Gray had placed a platter of pizza between the two, the delectable smell finding its way to cloud Lucy's thoughts.

"Half of it is spicy pepperoni with peppers, and then the other half is just cheese with stuffed crust. I didn't know what you would like." Gray spoke towards Lucy. She gave him a gracious smile at the kind gesture.

"This is perfect. Thank you!" Gray waved her off and went back into the kitchen. When she looked back at Natsu, half of his side was almost gone, pizza sauce dripping down his chin.

"You got a little something there." Lucy held in a laugh at his embarrassed state, and pointed to her chin. Of course Natsu being Natsu tried to get the sauce off of his chin with his tongue, swiping the muscle across his chin as far as he could go. Lucy shook her head at his antics.

"Here." Lucy grabbed a napkin from the dispenser and wiped the offended red sauce from the man's chin. "There. Now was that so hard?" Natsu only huffed out a thanks. Lucy, having contradiction her previous resolve, ate two slices of the pizza, loving the way the cheese tasted fresh and the sauce not too heavy. She allowed Natsu to plow through the rest, which he gratefully accepted.

"It is amazing how much you can eat. The average human stomach would burst, or at least you would suffer a severe food coma." Lucy spoke mostly to herself, recalling their first restaurant they ate at, and how he inhaled the whole food platter.

"Maybe I'm not your average human." His words were clear as he had chewed his last bite of the food. Something rung out from his sentence to Lucy, as the air stilled between the two, the sudden shift almost shocking Lucy. She patted her own mouth with a napkin and only hummed in agreement. Natsu seemed to choke on the atmosphere, noticing it for what it was, and what he had say. "Ahem. Uhh, so do you wanna get out of here?" Natsu asked cocking his head towards the door.

"Sure." They picked up their things and headed out, as Natsu yelled to Gray a short goodbye. The morning rays spotted the sidewalk as it fought its way to warm the ground through the many obstacles the city offered. Lucy didn't realize how chilled she got from the AC of the pizzeria until her bare shoulders took in the warmth of the sun. Lucy reached into her purse for her sunglasses, seeing as squinting all day was going to give her a headache. While she was digging through her purse in search of the pair she paid no mind to where she was going. Her feet caught on the uprisen pavement of the sidewalk and she toppled forward, eyes widen at the realization. Natsu leaped to catch her wrist in his hold to keep her from falling face first into the concrete...or at least that's what he would have done if he hadn't been busy eyeing the ice cream shop across the street with their fancy signs displaying the sweet icy treats in such a distracting way. He always did have a sweet tooth, unfortunately for Lucy. Her knee hit the ground taking most of the blow as her hands shot out to catch herself in front. Tiny rocks and sand particles made indents in the palm of her hands as she grimaced at her mistake, a dull pain shooting through her arms. Natsu, after noticing her sorry state, crouched down on the balls of his feet.

"Is there a reason you are looking so intently at the sidewalk, or are you really that much of a weirdo?" Natsu grinned as he held in a laugh.

"I just tripped!" Lucy defended her face reddening as she hurried to gather her pride and dust herself off.

"For a princess, you sure are clumsy." Natsu mumbled as he wrapped an arm around Lucy's frame to help her up. Lucy was just about to retort when a sickly feeling hit her stomach causing her heart to drop as her mind searched for a reason. Her nose picked up a nauseating scent, the black tendrils attached to the smell licked at her nerves. Her body going rigid in Natsu's hold made the man stop in his own actions. "Lucy? You didn't sprain your ankle or anything did you?" Natsu's chest vibrated with his words against Lucy, whose mind was working overtime to identify the horrific smell. Finally her brain made the connection, and allowed for other actions to be made, like speaking.

"No, no. I'm fine. I just….umm."

"What is it?" Natsu finished helping her up, as her limbs seemed to respond to her own efforts of standing back up. Natsu's face came into her view, and she noticed the skin scrunched up between his eyebrows, his own eyes concerned yet curious. She looked for any premature aging and wrinkles, briefly letting her eyes glide to his hands to scan for yellowed nails. Both checked out normal and clean, contrasting the deep lingering smell of cigar smoke emitting off of his body.

"Can I ask you something?" She didn't mean for her voice to sound so serious, but what was on her mind was no laughing matter. Natsu was taken back by the sudden change in her demeanor.

"Um. Sure?"

"Well…I don't mean to overstep any boundaries or anything, but…." Her tongue seemed to lose its ability to form words and she let her sentence hang in mid air.

"Go ahead. I promise you don't offend me or anything. It takes a lot to do that." Natsu finished jokingly, in a half hearted attempt to lighten the mood and see a sliver of a smile on the blondes face. But alas Lucy's features remained solid, her mouth if not turned a little downwards now. She gulped and willed her mouth to move, hoping what was about to come out wouldn't be insensitive of her. She knew this topic was a hard one to have, but if she was going to be friends, or maybe more with a person, she just had to know. "Do you know the implications of smoking and the longtime effects it has on a person's body?" Lucy's face held no trace of a smile, instead it seemed a emotionless mask was in place, her voice professional.

"Where is this coming from?" Natsu asked, completely confused. One minute she was tripping over her own feet, and the next she was asking him about smoking. He could only assume she was testing herself some more definitions or test questions in her head again, so be played along. He continued in favor of ignoring his own question "I mean…I guess. Doesn't it like blacken one's lungs and increases the risk of cancer and like breathing problems?" He cringed as he wished his words were more professional. He envied how such difficult and intelligent words could just roll off her tongue as if it was a second nature to her. Though he supposed if she was studying medicine that's exactly how it should be. She seemed satisfied with his answer, her head giving a small nod. Whether that was for him or herself, he didn't know. What he did know though was he wanted to see Lucy smile instead of whatever emotionless ghost was possessing her right now.

"Not only that but it can lead to several types of cardiovascular diseases, and smoking causes almost half a million of people into a premature death. And yes it causes lung cancer, but it can also trigger cancer almost anywhere else in the body. That's only a few reasons why smoking have negative long lasting effects on a human body." Lucy urged as Natsu grabbed her hand and continued their trek down the street towards university grounds.

"Is that so?" Natsu asked casually, leaving an opening in case she wanted to continue spiraling out more information and facts.

"Yes! And it's a very serious matter to consider when trying to live your life to the fullest. It can affect your schedule in life and your relationships with friends and family. And in this day and age, it's hard for smokers to find a significant other due to the fact that they are already married to a cigarette." Natsu wondered throughout her little speech why her nails dug slightly into his skin on his hand. He wrote it off as her being so spirited into her words and beliefs. Suddenly the back of Natsu shirt came into contact with cold brick as Lucy pulled Natsu to the side of a building in an alleyway. "Are you listening?" She asked slightly with a pout. Natsu almost laughed but held it in.

"Of course I'm listening. I already told you how much I enjoy when you ramble on about medical things." Natsu replied wondering once again why her hold on his hand tightened.

"Okay, then you understand what I'm saying?" Lucy leaned in closer.

"Smoking is bad and is basically short changing yourself in life." Natsu answered not quite sure what direction Lucy was leading the conversation in. Lucy's confusion outweighed Natsu's though as her eyebrows knitted and her eyes narrowed.

"So we both agree that smoking is bad." She pronounced each word carefully as if speaking to a child.

"Yes."

"And that people who smoke are only causing more trouble for their health and relationships with others."

"Yes…?" Natsu couldn't help but let his answer end in a questioning tone. Lucy looked up into his eyes, with an overwhelming sense of confusion.

"Then why do you do it?" Lucy finally asked, addressing the elephant that was graciously walking beside them the entire time.

"Do what?" Natsu asked, though it seemed the further he went along in this conversation the more his confusion piled up.

"Smoke!" Lucy half yelled in frustrations. She took a gulp of air before she swallowed thickly. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell, it's just that I don't understand if you know what you are doing to your body, why would you still actively smoke." Lucy let her mouth ramble, her tongue seemingly foreign in her mouth as she spoke heavy words. "I mean I understand if you are trying to quit, and I can help you with that! There is gum and patches, and even E-cigarettes nowadays. Though vaping is a last resort method since we have yet to foresee and research the long term side effects of the vapor." As her mouth began to move faster than her mind, she tried her best to calm down and speak slower. It wasn't until Natsu interrupted her mid sentence that she had a chance to catch her breath.

"Whoa, whoa whoa. Lucy. I _don't_ smoke." Natsu placed his hands on her shoulders as he peered into her eyes, trying to calm the girl. "I mean, I tried it once when Gray offered one, but that was years ago. I haven't touched a cigarette since." Lucy eyed the man before her, knowing he was lying. There is no way a person could smell of smoke and nicotine that strongly when they don't smoke. Though she questioned if it was her place to interfer. Who was she to try and change Natsu's lifestyle, a man she just met less than a month ago. But if she was going to hang out with him more, what type of friend would she be to let him continue hurting himself. Lucy analyzed his words, and realized he just outed that his friend Gray smokes too.

"It's okay to be in denial. There is nothing to be embarrassed about." Lucy started up her speech

"No, but it's true! I don't smoke! What made you believe that I did?" Natsu questioned his voice higher in pitch despite himself.

"Your clothes! They smell of nicotine and only people who smoke have that aspect. Though I am surprised at the intensity of the stench seeing as it doesn't seem to affecting your body's physical aspects yet." Lucy mumbled to herself as her hand cupped her chin. Lucy seemed to be lost in thought as she absentmindedly continued to rub her chin. Natsu couldn't believe what was happening. He seriously hadn't touched a cigarette since Gray offered him one, and back then he only accepted because of the situation. He lifted up his shirt to his nose, taking a long inhale to see if he could smell any traces. Nothing out of the ordinary he deemed, and proceed to lower his shirt, not before Lucy came back to the real world and noticed his very apparent lower stomach that was exposed to the world. Her words were fast and flustered as she grabbed ahold of his shirt and shoved it back down.

"W-what do you t-think you are doing?!"

"I was just seeing if I could smell anything."

"And did you?"

"Nope." Natsu said popping the P. "And that's how it should be, considering the fact I don't smoke."

"But…" Lucy without another thought took his shirt in her own hands and smelled herself. The black smoldering stench came back full force, and she had to hold herself back from retching away. Natsu noticed her reaction and had a thought. He immediately stripped off his shirt. He dropped it absentmindedly on the ground.

"Maybe it's just the shirt. Or the detergent I use…" His sentence fell flat as he realized the absurdity of it. Lucy laughed despite herself.

"You are telling me you think it's your laundry detergent?" Her eyes held a childish mirth to them that was a relief to Natsu. His body lost a tenseness that had developed.

"Or maybe your nose is just a little wonky."

"My nose is wonky? You were the one who damaged his cartilage twice in the same day!" Her smile gradually found its way on her face.

"Who's fault do you think that was?" Natsu yelled back at her with a cheerful laughter of his own. The two started a stare off, or at least until Natsu 's eyebrows did a little dance that made Lucy roar with laughter even more.

"Okay okay. I get it! I get it! Maybe I'm just smelling things then." Lucy let the incident go as laughter settled into her brain. She always was an overthinker. And perhaps she was just trying to find a major flaw with Natsu. But this wasn't the first time she had thought he smelled like smoke. Before she could ponder the thought anymore she shook it forcefully from her head. She wasn't going to think about it. Natsu said he doesn't smoke, and she trusts him. Therefore he doesn't smoke. She raised her eyes up to his, only to trail them over his current shirtless state. She took a huge step back and yelped. Her hands swiftly covered her eyes.

"W-why are you shirtless?!" her words stumbled out. She heard a low chuckle come from the man in front of her.

"I took it off because you said it stunk." He explain as if that was the only logical action. "Did you just now notice?" Natsu asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. Lucy chose to ignore his obvious teasings in favor of more pressing matters.

"Well put it back on!" She demanded as she peeked through her fingers.

"I can't."

"And why is that?"

"I dropped my shirt on the ground and it fell into a puddle." He picked up the neglected shirt. "I don't really want to wear it since it's all dirty."

Lucy had to mentally will herself not to ask all the questions running through her head. She slowly dropped her hands from her eyes and proceeded to keep her eyes low. She spoke to him as she eyed the dirty alleyway ground.

"How are we supposed to go anywhere with you shirtless?" Lucy asked the most important question. Based on the lack of response that followed she assumed he didn't think that far ahead. With a sigh, Lucy began to untie the jacket she had wrapped around her waist. She tossed it in his direction. He caught it in one hand and gave her a confused glance, not that she saw though since she was still averting her eyes.

"It might be a little tight, but I buy my jackets one size big so it should at least zip up on you."

"What if I stretch it out?" Natsu asked as he reluctantly started shoving his arms through the holes.

"Then I'll re-shrink it in the dryer. But I honestly don't think you'll stretch it out."

"Is that how it works?" he asked his voice overlapping with the zipper sound.

"You honestly know nothing about laundry do you?" Lucy asked, finally laying her eyes on him again seeing as he was appropriately dressed.

"I mean, you just add soap and then hang it to dry." Natsu started heading his way back out onto the street, Lucy in tow.

"Your poor mistreated clothes."

"You say that as if they have feelings." Natsu laughed.

"No. I say that as a normal human being who knows how to do laundry." Lucy poked his shoulder as if physically proving her point.

"I thought we already established that I wasn't your normal human being." Natsu said as he rolled his eyes. Though he secretly was enjoying the soft fleece inside her jacket on his skin.

"Well that's a given if you can't do laundry and randomly strip off your clothes." She joked. Natsu let out an exasperated breath as he quickly denied her statement.

"Whoa whoa whoa. If anyone strips their clothes it's Gray! He does it at least ten times a day. And that's on a good day." Lucy laughed as Natsu's face scrunched up in disgust.

"It sounds like you've been friends with him for a very long time."

"Too long." Natsu muttered under his breath. "We were both in the same orphanage and constantly got into prank wars and fights." Lucy's heart stopped.

"Orphanage? I thought your dad…" She let her sentence hang.

"He passed when I was 13. And since the relatives didn't want me they just placed me in a local orphanage."

"Oh. Natsu. I'm so so-"

"Sorry? Don't be. Orphanages aren't actually that bad as portrayed in movies. It's like one big family. One you can rely on at all times. And it was nice to have a huge dinner table full of friends." Natsu explained in a rather happy voice. Lucy felt like she was intruding on some important memories as he told her what his days were like in the orphanage. Most days included sitting in the timeout corner after making a mess with Gray. She laughed at the image of a tiny Natsu pouting in a secluded corner. They then proceeded to swap stories of their childhood, each one getting more and more personal. Lucy didn't notice they were holding hands until her phone started ringing and she moved to check the caller ID, only to be blocked by Natsu's hand in hers.

"Sorry." She muttered as she released his hand. She reached for her phone that was still vibrating and chiming wildly. She slide the bar across answering the phone.

"What's up Mira?" Lucy spoke into the speaker. A short pause later and Lucy was flustered and stuttering.

"W-who told you?" Her face steadily redden and her eyes flickered over to Natsu's for a brief second. The muffled sound of a voice chatted rapidly over the phone's speaker.

"I should have known he wouldn't have kept his mouth shut." Lucy mumbled as her hand brushed back her bangs in exasperation. Natsu lifted an eyebrow at her response, obviously curious over the whole exchange. He didn't know a person named Mira but whoever she was, seemed to be a good friend of Lucy's. The blonde's eyes seemed to move back and forth from Natsu's frame and the ground, her face reddening even more.

"Careful there Lucy, if your face gets any more red I'm afraid you'll explode." Natsu mumbled into her ear, not liking being ignored. Of course this "Mira" over the phone heard him and let loose a high pitched squeal. Or at least that's what Natsu assumed because of Lucy's wince. She shot him a malicious glare while she now tried to do damage patrol.

"Yes, he's here, and no you can't speak to him." She sighed in exhaustion. Talking to Mira was always a roller coaster ride. One eye roll later, "Because I say so. Now I'm going to hang up now and so help me if you are at my house when I get back I'm telling Laxus." Lucy's tone took on that of a mother's. "Ah. No buts. Goodbye Mira~" Lucy sing songed before she hung up.

"You could have at least let me just say hi to her. After all it sounded like she wanted to talk to me." Lucy just let out a snort.

"There is no 'just saying hi' to Mira. She has a way of prying what she wants out of people if given an opportunity." Lucy explained with a serious gleam in her eyes.

"Oh surely she can't be that bad." He laughed at Lucy's face full of dread.

"You'll find out soon enough. You are on her radar now after all." Lucy gravely said. Natsu couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh at Lucy's overdramatic attitude.

"Her radar? That seems a bit…"

"I'm not kidding! You'll see." Lucy pouted before she to broke out into a laugh. She inched her hand into his and they continued their merry walk, blissful and unaware of the watchful eyes of a bystander.

* * *

I've been stuck. I hope this chapter bodes well. Until next time.


End file.
